FILO Podcast

**the invisible tech team – FILO Blog** Nov 15, 2024
Hey Technical Artist, what’s your favorite color? Mine is a toss up between Black and Charcoal. My wardrobe consists of many black t-shirts, hoodies and jackets that are great for staying in the shadows, and I bet yours does as well. If you are like most techs you are probably more comfy in the booth than in the pew, but when is invisibility a superpower and when is it our kryptonite?

1. The Value of Being Invisible

First and foremost, a well-functioning tech team is ideally invisible. When we’re in a worship service, the technology should enhance the experience without drawing attention to itself. (Have you seen this viral reel on Insta that has stirred up a lot of conversation about this very topic?) Every church culture is definitely unique, when it comes to how they use technology. But I think that we can all agree: when everything runs smoothly—sound, visuals, and lyrics syncing perfectly—people can truly focus on the worship and the message. That’s what we’re after!

I tell my tech team that their success is measured by how little people notice them. When technology is seamless, the congregation can connect on a deeper level with the worship. No one wants to be distracted by technical glitches. So, careful planning, preparation, and rehearsals are crucial. A well-prepared tech team is ready for anything that might come up, and that can lead to an incredible worship experience.

2. Recognizing the Team Behind the Scenes

While invisibility in function is desirable, invisibility in recognition is not. It’s easy for those working behind the scenes to feel unappreciated. I’ve seen it happen—team members who do incredible work but don’t receive any acknowledgment can start feeling demotivated.

That’s why it’s vital for us as leaders to express gratitude regularly. I’ve started implementing a culture of appreciation where we acknowledge our tech team’s contributions. Sometimes it’s a quick thank you after a service and sometimes it’s a fun recognition event. Either way, it makes a world of difference. I’ve even adopted a “Dundee”-style awards ceremony for our team members. This Thanquet was inspired by Michael Scott from The Office and includes a time where I give out little golden trophies to our team members to recognize “Mr. Dependable”, “Sir Mixalot” or our “MVPrayer”. Celebrating their unique contributions help them feel valued and fosters a healthy culture within the team.

When the only recognition a tech team receives is for mishaps, it becomes pretty disheartening. Praise publicly and correct privately.

3. The Dangers of Over-Automation

Imagine standing in the congregation during a worship service and every single AVL cue being executed flawlessly. Every transition, light intensity, reverb time and lyric was flawless. The service ends and you decide to make your way back to the Tech booth to offer some encouragement to the amazing tech team, but to your surprise…no one is there. Then suddenly a little guy appears from behind a black curtain holding a Wireless Stream Deck XL and you realize who’s really in control!

Technology has come a long way, allowing us to automate many tasks through systems like MIDI cues and playback. However, we need to be cautious not to over-rely on automation. It can create a disconnect from the community aspect of worship and team building. Do you have a team of midi watchers or technical artists?

Sometimes, I find that tech leaders might prefer to handle everything themselves because they worry that others won’t do it as well. But this mindset can be detrimental. Involving volunteers is so important (Ephesians 4:12)! It fosters community and enriches the worship experience. When we take the time to train and empower volunteers, we’re not just building a tech team; we’re creating opportunities for growth and collaboration.

Conclusion: Finding the Balance with a New Perspective

When was the last time you got out of the shadows of serving and sat in a worship service? It’s much easier to evaluate what is enhancing and what is distracting when you aren’t staring at Propresenter or a cue sheet.

The concept of the invisible tech team is nuanced. Tech should be used to enhance the message, but appropriate for each church’s culture. While our teams usually prefer to serve without a spotlight that doesn’t mean they should be invisible to their leaders. Care for your teams and be careful not to A.I. them out of a job when it isn’t necessary.

As church leaders and tech directors, our goal should be to create an environment where technology enhances worship rather than overshadows it. By fostering appreciation, maintaining engagement, and involving volunteers, we can build a tech team that thrives in its invisibility while remaining vital to our mission.

Let’s keep doing great things for God’s Glory!

This blog is based on Ryland Russell’s Sunday Vlog entitled “The INVISIBLE Tech Team” from his Youtube channel. If you would like to hear more from Ryland, check out his breakout from FILO 2024 “Next Level Livestreaming on a Budget“.

Episode 123: Shawn Williams & Jeff Boriss Nov 11, 2024

FILO’s Aubrey Wentz talks with Shawn Williams and Jeff Boriss from Willow Creek Church about the challenges of production people and pastors working together. Learning to communicate and teach each other what it takes to make Sundays happen are key ingredients to having successful outcomes…and not hating each other. 🙂

Show Notes:

FILO Cohorts: This episode is a recording from a 2024 Summer Skills Cohort. If you are intrigued to learn more about Cohorts or if you would like to sign up for one, head to filo.org/cohorts.

Jeff’s FILO 2024 Breakout: Processes That Get You to Sunday Without Going Crazy

Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.

Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We’d appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org

FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.

Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

**what’s in your house? – FILO Blog** Oct 24, 2024
In my work as a leadership coach, I often encounter church leaders who are frustrated with a lack of resources, progress, or vision–and sometimes all three at once. After twenty plus years of serving the local church, I’ve had plenty of those moments myself. The most difficult time was when things didn’t turn out as I had envisioned them.

I bet you share my passion for doing things right and doing things well. But how do you do that when it seems like your resources aren’t keeping up with your vision?

Perspective

First, let’s talk about our perspective. There’s a striking story in 2 Kings 4. In verse 1, a widow comes to the prophet Elisha and says, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.”

Not only does this woman have tremendous debt, but she doesn’t have enough to live on. She’s lost her husband, and now she may lose her son, as well. I can feel her sense of urgency and desperation.

The story goes on:

Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”
“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a little oil.”
2 Kings 4:2 (NIV 1984)

Have you ever felt like that? When you look at what you have available to you, it feels like nothing. What happens in the rest of the story is nothing short of miraculous:

Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.” She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”
2 Kings 4:3-7 (NIV 1984)

Here’s the key: the widow didn’t have everything she thought she needed, but God needed everything she had–even though it seemed like nothing to her.

The same is true for us: often, we must surrender our “not enough” to get to God’s “more than enough.” Sometimes, we dismiss or devalue what we have because we forget whose hands we place it in. God can take what seems like nothing to us and turn it into something we could never imagine!

The first question for us, as we consider what excellence looks like is, “What do you have in your house?” What is your “nothing at all, except”? Don’t discount it. Choose to give it to God wholeheartedly.

Practical

Now that we’ve adjusted our perspective let’s get practical! What’s most important to remember is that excellence scales. There is not one “standard of excellence.” It has to be relative to your context. Why?

Excellence is, first and foremost, a posture, not a product.

In the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, the master doesn’t scold the person with two talents for not turning them into ten (like the person who started with five could do). Each servant was given according to their ability. It wasn’t about the outcome, as much as their obedience.

Not only can unhealthy comparison steal your joy, but it can also steal your vision. You can get so fixated on the talents in someone else’s hand that you essentially bury yours in a hole! Stop trying to compete with the church down the street. Stop comparing your church with the conference you attended or what you see on YouTube. Those things can be beautiful sparks of innovation, but you were intended to be a creative, not a clone.

Here are a few practical things to help you on your journey:

Rekindle Your Expectation. If you’ve grown weary or discouraged, it’s time to dream again. Take it all to God and ask Him to reset your vision.

Set Your Standard. Excellence is relative. As a team, discuss what excellence will look like for you. What areas are hitting the target? Where do you want to go? Who do you want to invest in? Once you set the standard, revisit it at least quarterly. Measure what matters, and don’t get distracted.

Grow on Purpose. Now that you know where you’re headed, look for opportunities to take on “bite-sized” areas of development as you get started. Don’t try to grow in every area all at once. Be on the lookout for leaders with potential and then create opportunities to equip them.

Increase Your Capacity. In the story, the widow filled as many jars as she gathered. You increase your capacity by creating environments that will foster the kind of growth you want to see. Look for ways to invest in the areas or people that need support. Add more time to your rehearsals. Schedule monthly team workshops. Build relationships with other local churches to share best practices and even resources.

It can be hard to see all that something could be while living in what it is today. Don’t let the enemy discourage you. God has called us to be good stewards of what he has given us and He knows what you need. Obedience is our part; the outcome is His!

If you are interested in learning more from Brian Taylor, check out his breakout class from FILO 2024 “Getting the Right People in the Right Seats on the Bus: Hiring, Promoting, and Firing in a Ministry Environment”.

Episode 122: Willow Presley Oct 21, 2024

Todd and Willow talk about why it is so important to figure out a vision for teams to understand what matters and what doesn’t. From there, they discuss why our volunteers need to hear the vision often, so that the whole team can be on the same page.

Show Notes:

You Matter To Us: We periodically ask the FILO Community on Instagram about what struggles they’re experiencing. We take those topics and produce content addressing those issues. Keep sharing and keep engaging in the Blog and Podcast platforms. We hope they serve you!

Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.

Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We’d appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org

FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.

Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

**how to embrace growth – FILO Blog** Oct 10, 2024
It’s a unique and exciting situation when more people are eager to join your production team than the amount of serving roles you have available. This ‘challenge’ presents a unique opportunity to think outside the box and find ways to develop and grow our teams. Consider these three options:

**1. The Power of Spiritual Gifts**

Each person carries a unique set of spiritual gifts—gifts that are not meant to be confined but nurtured and released in service. It’s essential to help new and existing volunteers understand the purpose of these gifts in God’s greater plan. There’s always an opportunity to guide them in discovering how their gifts can be refined, expanded, and used.

As leaders, we are responsible for providing a framework for volunteers to understand and explore their spiritual gifts. Encouraging intentional conversations or helping them learn more about their spiritual gifts (which you can learn more here, and they can take a test here) can help them uncover their potential. Below you will find a list of spiritual gifts that one can use in Production. Underneath each of the spiritual gifts are ideas for serving positions for new or existing production team members:

**1. Leadership**
Role: Production leaders, technical directors, and team coordinators.

**2. Administration**
Role: Production managers, schedulers, planners.

**3. Service (Helps)**
Role: Stagehands, setup and teardown crews, lighting and audio assistants.

**4. Exhortation (Encouragement)**
Role: Team leads, volunteers who support and mentor others.

**5. Wisdom**
Role: Senior production roles, strategic planners, problem-solvers.

**6. Knowledge**
Role: Specialists in audio, video, lighting, and tech.

**7. Discernment**
Role: Team leaders, content directors, decision-makers.

**8. Creativity (Craftsmanship)**
Role: Set designers, video producers, graphic designers.

**9. Faith**
Role: Prayer warriors, visionaries, those pushing boundaries in tech.

**10. Teaching**
Role: Trainers, mentors, team developers.

**2. Shifting to Coaching and Training**

With more volunteers than roles available, we can embrace the role of a coach and trainer, focusing on developing individuals rather than just filling roles. Start by identifying individuals on your team who could coach and, in turn, open a seat to new volunteers.

As you onboard volunteers, let your approach be proactive in equipping them. Equip people not just for the role but for their growth. When we shift from simply recruiting (filling roles) to coaching (developing individuals), we help each person find their stride with a committed individual to help them every step of the way.

**3. Mentoring the Next Generation**

Kids and students offer a unique opportunity for current volunteers to pour into the future. Whether in kids’ rooms, student environments, or other opportunities, this is a pivotal moment in their development as individuals and in their faith journey. They may not have a fully formed understanding of their spiritual gifts yet, but that’s where mentorship becomes crucial.

Invite them into the journey of discovering their strengths. Allow them to shadow seasoned volunteers and leaders. This offers immediate, hands-on training and mentorship. The young people serving today will become the leaders of tomorrow, and their time in ministry will profoundly shape who they become.

Also, taking time to create development tracks specifically for kids and students can be a transformative experience. Whether it’s specialized training or regular check-ins to discuss their growth, make sure they feel they are part of a community that sees and supports them.

**Practical Next Steps**

**1. Create a Development Plan:** Determine how you will help new and existing volunteers discover and grow their spiritual gifts and where that track leads them.

**2. Build a Mentorship Culture:** Pair experienced volunteers with newcomers, especially kids and students, to provide a deeper, hands-on learning experience.

**3. Communicate the Vision:** Be transparent about your team’s needs and growth plan. Help people see the bigger picture to understand their place in your team.

**4. Think Long Term:** Remember that these volunteers are a blessing for the future. Your role is to develop them now so they can step into new ministry opportunities as they arise. Consider these extra people as future leaders. As you develop them, they’ll bring their gifts, wisdom, and energy to the next wave of ministry opportunities, possibly even creating new roles or ministries where their skills will be essential. This long-term thinking is crucial for the growth and sustainability of your ministry.

In the end, having more volunteers than roles is a good problem. You can turn this abundance into an opportunity for incredible growth and deeper community impact through coaching, training, and mentoring. The goal is to develop people holistically, equipping them for future ministry and life rather than simply filling the current gaps.

By investing in them now, we’re setting the stage for a stronger, more vibrant future in our ministries—one where everyone, no matter their seat, finds purpose and fulfillment in their service.

Here at FILO, we know how hard it can be to balance regular production work and developing your own leadership skills. We want to help – this is why we created FILO Cohorts! We want to connect you with other production leaders and empower you to be the healthiest version of yourself. If you are interested in learning more, check out our Cohort page.

Episode 121: Dan Dominguez Sep 30, 2024

Todd is joined by the lead pastor and production volunteer at Hope Culture Church to talk about creating an environment for serving and setting a foundation for others to succeed.

Show Notes:

2025 Cohorts: The 2025 schedule of Cohorts has been released! Learn more and sign up today at filo.org/cohorts.

Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.

Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We’d appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org

FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.

Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

**heart check – FILO Blog** Sep 19, 2024
I’ve heard the question asked: **“I work for a church… how do I keep from feeling that Sunday is just another work day?”** This is certainly understandable. Working in the local church, as with most things, is both rewarding and challenging. It is called *work* because it requires effort from us. Whether you are serving in the church as a volunteer or as staff, the call to use your spiritual gifts for God’s glory is clear. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another ”. Serving others is an act of love. With this service, comes a sacrifice. We give time, energy, resources (and more) to serve. This pouring-out can deplete our spirit and begin to harden our hearts for what God has in store for us.

If we do not take care, this depletion will begin to weigh us down and hold us in a place of bitterness. Small cracks in our once solid foundation will grow into a gap that seems far too difficult to repair. We can prepare for this and be ready with a response to bring His truth back into alignment. We can choose to turn to His word for guidance and seek understanding. **John 3:30 says, “He must become greater; I must become less.”**

As believers, Jesus has called us to be free and live life to the full. We are not to use our freedom towards self-centered and selfish desires. Rather we are to serve one another in love. This act of love shows our love for Jesus. I am confident that we need to strive towards remaining humble before God. There are many distractions that are pulling us away from this stance of humility – all of them are just that, distractions. Our focus needs to remain on Him and on His calling for us. As C.S. Lewis said, **“humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”** Humility is first serving God and our neighbors before serving ourselves. When we respond in obedience to Him and give Him all the glory and honor, we are practicing humility.

This reminder, to stay humble before Him, provides us with an opportunity to **check our heart** for serving others. Before the work begins, pause and ask yourself: **“Who am I serving? And to whom do I belong?”** This check-in brings a calming peace of understanding that we are children of God and we are chosen to bring his light to the world.

Caring for the production team and strengthening our bond and connectedness is vital towards creating a healthy team. If we stumble into a pattern of weekend services becoming a routine checklist of tasks to perform, we are missing out on the opportunity to live a life on mission for God. **We should wholeheartedly enter into the weekends with our focus on making the name of Jesus known and showing His love.**

Looking for opportunities to talk about challenges like this, and be in community with others facing the same struggles? Check out our FILO Cohorts!

Episode 120: Christina Pendleton & Adam McIntyre Sep 09, 2024

Todd is joined by Christina and Adam to talk about collaboration. Coming from the production and creative ends of the spectrum, they talk about the ways they have found to work best together to accomplish the goals of the weekend service.

Show Notes:

Invest In Your Team: As we head into fall, now is a great time to invest in your team! Purchase copies of the FILO book and talk through the discussion questions at the end of each chapter. Or download a digital resource from a past Conference and watch it as a team.

Rick Rubin’s Book: The Creative Act: A Way of Being

Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.

Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We’d appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org

FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.

Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

Episode 119: Beau Norton Aug 19, 2024

Beau Norton joins Todd to talk about how, when and why use contractors to fill positions on the production team at church. They talk about the importance of consistency and team culture, as well as expectations from the church’s leadership.

Show Notes:

FILO Cohorts: There are a few spots left in the final 101 Cohort of 2024 that launches October 8th! Register today! If that Thursday weekly Cohort doesn’t work in your schedule, you can view the rest of the year’s schedule on our website.

Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.

Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We’d appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org

FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.

Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

**when your pastor sees you, how do they feel – FILO Blog** Aug 12, 2024
When Your Pastor Sees You, How Do They Feel?

When I was 16 and serving in my church, I loved being back at front of house making the music sound amazing. As a teenage volunteer, I wasn’t there every week and in the summertime there were a bunch of weekends that I was on vacation. When I would get back behind the console after being gone for a while, I had so many people come up to me and say “Thank God you’re back!” It didn’t make a ton of sense to me at the time, and I would just wonder what happened last week that could have been so bad that you’re so glad to see me?

One thing I thought was that maybe the other people on the team weren’t up to the task. I was just so much better than them. But upon reflection, I was pretty confident that that wasn’t the case. I was good, but not that much better than anyone else. And problems were happening on the weekends I was there, so it wasn’t like my weekends were flawless.

The more I thought about it and have reflected on it over the years, it was more about how I responded to the problems that came up. When the people on the platform looked back at FOH, they had a sense of relief that things were going to be OK, that I would be able to take care of whatever was going on. It didn’t mean that bad things wouldn’t happen, but that they would be handled.

When your pastor looks back and sees you in the booth, what are they thinking about you? Are they relieved to see you or are they wondering if everything will be OK?

One of the best ways we can support our leaders on the platform is a sense that you have stuff covered. **The question is, how can we do that?**

Be Visible

When something unplanned happens in a service, become visible so that the person on stage can see you and that you know something happened. When someone is on the platform and they know something isn’t happening correctly, it is helpful to see that someone else noticed and that they can stop wondering about it. **It has become my knee jerk reaction to stand up as soon as I know that something just happened to become visible.**

The other helpful time to be visible is when there is a transition or a question on what’s going to happen next. If someone is about to call for a video, I stand. If someone is confused about what’s next, I stand up. I want to be the focal point for people on stage who have questions. If they can see me dialed into what is going on, then they can know they aren’t alone on stage.

Follow Up

After the service, communicate about what happened and what you plan to do about it. This shouldn’t involve shrugging your shoulders or pointing out why you need new gear. This should be about immediate solutions…what are we going to do before the next service.

Even if you don’t know exactly what happened or what you’re going to do about it, it is important to let people know that you know something didn’t work and that you’re going to do your best to figure it out before the next service. I used to have the luxury of having a Saturday night service, so I had 12 hours or more to figure out a solution. For many, there is only 30 minutes to work something out until the next service, so it is important to have a work-around plan until there is time to really dig into the long term fix. Communicate all this.

**It is so important to get everybody on the same page, and agree on how to move forward.** It might mean an easy solution. It could also mean a compromise. But one that everyone agrees to and adjusts to. Everybody understanding the plan going into the next service is key.

Remain Calm

As adjustments are made and solutions figured out, it is important to remain calm. Nobody needs to see you panic. That’s not helping anything. Especially if you’re visible, watching you lose your bananas doesn’t help build confidence. Very rarely is panic the right solution to any problem. It isn’t going to speed things up or help you solve the problem sooner. It is also vital to solve problems with intensity. It is key for people to feel the reality of how important it is to come up with a solution. But it is also important to show calmness. **Calm intensity will help to build trust between the people on the platform and you as a leader at the back of the room.**

And frankly trust is the correct answer for what your pastor feels when they see you at the back of the room. If you answered the question differently, it is important to develop a new way to begin to establish a trusting relationship.

Learn more about this through the FILO Podcast Episode 109: Alex Sawyer “Building Trust”.

Episode 118: Tim Stevens Jul 29, 2024

Todd is joined by Tim Stevens, former executive pastor at Willow Creek Church. They talk about the importance of the culture on a team and the part that each of us has to play in creating it in our own sphere of influence.Show Notes:Summer Skills Cohort: Journey with like-minded technical artists for growth and support as well as meet with an industry leader for an in-depth discussion around a topic. The best part? Sharing how you’re learning and growing with your group for added support and accountability. Join us for the final August session! Learn more at filo.org/cohorts. FILO Cohorts: There are a few spots left in the next 101 Cohort that launches August 15th! Register today! If that Thursday weekly Cohort doesn’t work in your schedule, you can view the rest of the year’s schedule on our website. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

3 ways to have a better relationship with your worship leader – FILO Blog Jul 19, 2024

When I first started doing production stuff at my church, I did it for the gear. I wanted the chance to play with the gear. I didn’t really care about what we were doing or why. I just like the shiny new stuff. Little did I know that there was way more to being a technical artist in the local church than the equipment I got to use. For one thing, there was the reason we were using all the gear...to create a worship experience for our congregation to meet with God. Secondly, the interpersonal dynamics at play between the stage and the booth was not something I was prepared for. After a few years passed, I realized that the relationship between the worship leader and me was the ballgame! I had a difficult time getting anything done when our relationship was strained. Since it was my job to execute their ideas, I needed to figure out how to get along with these people!It was one thing to realize this, but what could I do about it? How do I make sure that the relationship I have with my worship pastor can lead to amazing collaboration? At the base of it all is trust. Me trusting them, and them trusting me. So how do I build that trust? Here are three ideas.Do Your JobThis isn’t quite as harsh as “Just do your job, and shut up!”, but on some level I’m not joking. One of the most effective ways to build trust with the people on stage is to be good at what you do. As a production person, that means nailing all the little things that nobody really understands or cares about. Input lists. Stage plots. Neat and tidy backstage storage. Mics on when they are supposed to be. Lights aimed at the right things.These are all very “boring” tasks, but they make up the foundation of excellent production. Without them, we can’t hope to go deeper in the collaboration with our friends on stage. If you can’t do the “boring” stuff well, why would they want to hear what you think about their work or their ideas? It is difficult to talk about wanting the process to be better, if we aren’t handling our side of the equation well. Let’s say you complain about a particular guitar tone messing with your mix, but no one can hear the worship leader when they are talking over the music. Why would anyone change their guitar tone when it’s obvious to them you don’t know what you’re talking about?The best way to build a solid relationship with your worship leader is to be as good at your job as possible. Without excuses. Without complaining. Just nail it. Buy CoffeeFind out your worship leader’s favorite foofy drink from Starbucks and show up with it. (Or maybe they’re a Dunkin’ person. Know the difference!) Do it more than once. Maybe even sit down and drink the coffee together. Talk about stuff. And not all work stuff. Life stuff. “How are you doing?” “How are your kids?” “What’s your favorite color?” Working with someone is not the same as knowing them. The context for our relationship is generally speaking, the pressure cooker of rehearsal and services. When we aren’t in the intensity of work, then we’re in meetings to figure out what we’re doing. Our whole relationship is built around a very narrow window of each of our personalities. You know what else? I bet that your worship leader doesn’t know all that much about you either. This coffee time is a perfect chance to share about your own life outside of production at your church. Who knows? Maybe you’ll discover that you like the same college football team, or the same flavor of ice cream, or that maybe you have the same favorite color!When you know someone beyond just one dimension of who they are, there is a chance you’ll trust each other a little more. You know me. I know you. You are more than just the mistakes you make or the ways you frustrate me on a Sunday morning. Share the ResponsibilityPulling off weekend services together is a challenge. Or at least my part is. Their part looks easy. Not only that, but sometimes it feels like they make my part even more challenging than it needs to be.

“I’ve got some last minute changes.” – FILO Blog Jul 10, 2024

“I’ve got some last minute changes.”I heard this a lot this past week. I was working on an event that for some reason had a ton of last-minute graphics changes. When the people came to the team with this phrase, we pretty much always said, “Sure, no problem.” After a few days of this, the person doing graphics was pretty wiped out. On one hand, we had someone who cared enough about the presentation to be the best it could be, that they said yes to every change. The results were an excellent program with the graphics being exactly what the presenter had in mind. With the end goal of communicating a message most effectively.The results were also someone who was frazzled by the end of the program and right on the edge of making mistakes. The graphics person was definitely ready for a very long break after the program was done. The question for me is, should we have been saying “No” to last minute changes to protect the graphics person, or was saying yes to all the changes the right idea?On one hand, as a leader on the team, it is my job to keep the scope of work to something manageable for the team. On the other hand, the purpose of the team is to help support the message, and if we can make it better then why wouldn’t we?There is also something to be said for the graphics person making the changes to stick up for themselves and to be able to say “No” if that is what’s best for the overall program. The reality is that this gray area is where we live as production people. There is no standard answer for all the situations. Sometimes making the last minute change is the right call. Sometimes locking things down early is the right answer. Down at the foundation of this question is trust.Trust between you and the people you’re supporting and their trust in you. Trust between you and the graphics person and the graphics person you, and with the presenter. Without trust, it is almost impossible to say “No” to a last minute request.Without trust, it is difficult to understand why a last minute request isn’t possible.Without trust, it is difficult to understand why a certain last minute request is even necessary. Trust comes from time working together. Trust comes from living through all the outcomes, good and bad. Trust comes from enough shared experiences to know the best ways to respond in certain situations. Trust also comes from speaking the truth in love to each other, in a culture without fear but understanding. How can we be about creating that culture instead of waiting for someone else to create it?To learn more about how to create a healthy team culture, check out our leadership track in our digital resource center!

Episode 117: Kirk Denson Jul 08, 2024

Todd has a chat with Kirk Denson from Willow Creek Church. They talk about the importance of developing people, not just to be better technicians but better humans.Show Notes:Summer Skills Cohort: Journey with like-minded technical artists for growth and support as well as meet with an industry leader for an in-depth discussion around a topic. The best part? Sharing how you’re learning and growing with your group for added support and accountability. Join us for the final August session! Learn more at filo.org/cohorts. MxU Pop Up: Join Todd at the upcoming MxU Pop up in Dallas on August 20th. The pop ups are one day events designed to equip you with leadership training and an opportunity to engage with other worship and tech leaders in your city. Learn more at getmxu.com/pop-ups.Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

development = survival – FILO Blog Jun 26, 2024

When I started as a tech person at my church I loved getting a great mix. I loved solving the problems we experienced from technical problems during a service. I loved being in the back of the room and not on stage. From that moment to this, I can see how the pathway of my development got me to this point. And when I think about all the steps between the first one and my most recent one, each one along the way stretched me in some way. In one way or another I learned, adapted and became someone a little bit different. And overtime, I have a difficult time recognizing myself. This isn’t bad. In fact it is necessary. By pushing myself to try new things, or to be uncomfortable for a few minutes in order to explore a new way of doing something, or to try something completely different, I’ve been stretched into a new version of myself.Frankly life would have been simpler to stay behind the console. But I would have been doing a disservice to my church and myself if I’d been content to stay there. My life has been a series of choices, to stay comfortable or to stretch from something a little more. While staying comfortable sounds nice, I don’t really like who I become when comfort is the only thing I’m after. When I think about the FILO Community and being able to watch God move over the past 10 years, I can’t even imagine how much I would have missed if I’d simply stayed comfortable. Who I am is made up of similar choices along the way. I would argue that my survival has been dependent on the choices to be uncomfortable and follow where I felt like God was calling me. Not just in big ways, but in small, everyday ways: take responsibility for a mistake, apologize for my tone to my co-worker, decide to be more disciplined in the way I use my time.Each of us needs to grow and expand if we hope to survive to become the version of us God has in mind. Not only in our roles as technical artists, but as humans as well. Here at FILO we want to connect you with other production leaders and empower you to be the healthiest version of yourself. If you are interested in learning more, check out our Cohort page.

Episode 116: Brennan Wilkins Jun 17, 2024

Todd sits down with Brennan Wilkins to talk his journey of working at a portable church to now helping to design technical systems for some of the coolest projects around from stadiums, theaters and even large spherical venues in the desert. Show Notes:Summer Skills Cohort: Journey with like-minded technical artists for growth and support as well as meet with an industry leader for an in-depth discussion around a topic. The best part? Sharing how you’re learning and growing with your group for added support and accountability. Join us for the July and August sessions! Learn more at filo.org/cohorts. FILO 2024 Digital Resources: The FILO 2024 Resource Library is OPEN! Head to filo.org/filo-resources and add the one big bundle of FILO 2024 goodness to your cart. Who doesn't love a good bundle? Or, take some time to review each Breakout class title and presenter, Lunch & Learn event and Intensive before deciding on a few individual resources to add to your digital library. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

the curse of the last minute fix – FILO Blog Jun 12, 2024

I was visiting a church this past week and I was reminded of how similar all of our situations are as technical artists in the local church. The list of should-do’s is always pushed to the side for have-to’s. Recabling the stage vs. running an emergency line at the last minute to make the service work. Setting up a system that is easy for a new volunteer to use vs. scrambling to get something working at the last minute to make the service happen. Basically anything vs. the last-minute fix to make the service work. The last-minute fix to make the service work will never go away. It will always pop up. And what I’ve noticed is that we aren’t so great about going back and cleaning up after that hasty fix. And after a while, the pile of unlabeled extra becomes invisible to us. Just a part of “normal”.At a certain point, all the unlabeled, hastily installed cables will be the source of problems if we don’t stay on top of keeping our areas clean and organized. What if we built margin into our lives to handle the clean-up after each hasty fix? What if we gave ourselves time to label things correctly and then keep things neat and tidy? How can we set up our teams for success instead of only jumping in when it’s an emergency?Looking for more resources to become better at your craft? Check out our digital resources. Digital Resources from FILO 2024 are now available!

leadership cliché – FILO Blog May 29, 2024

"People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care." Theodore Roosevelt I heard this quote at an event today and I have to confess that I rolled my eyes. I’ve heard it so many times that it seems super cliche. It might be because I’ve heard it from people who I don’t really believe mean it. Which I guess proves the point.I’ve been with a great crew on an event this week and I had an interesting conversation with a creative director who was responsible for a few creative elements in our general sessions. What we do as technical/creative artists happens in a stressful environment. Things not going as planned. Not having enough rehearsal time. Doors open before we’re ready. Is it even working?It can be so easy to give into the intensity and have it leak out on the people we’re working with. Short answers. Moving too fast. Yelling to the stage from front-of-house. For many of us, our team of volunteers are affected by this leaking. I know it is easy to think, “We need to fix this probably as fast as possible. I’m not really yelling, I’m just intense.” While I believe thatwe need to be competent at the task we have in front of us, I think that is the easiest part of what we do. What we need to be good at is handling the stress of our environment and leading our teams through it. Instead of our stress negatively affecting the people around us, we need to learn how to channel that stress into finding solutionswith a positive attitude and kind words. In the short term, there is aproblem to solve. In the long term, how you solve it will determine what matters most to you. Reaching for perfection at any cost, or a culture of honor and continual improvement. the long term, how you solve it will determine what matters most to you. Reaching for perfection at any cost, or a culture of honor and continual improvement. I want to be on the team of honor and continual improvement. I want to be a leader that shows honor and is pushing for continual improvement. Looking for more tools on how to improve as a leader? Check out our leadership track on our Digital Resources page.

Episode 115: Alexis Leon May 27, 2024

Todd talks with Alexis Leon, Gatherings Producer at Passion City Church. They talk about being tired on Sunday morning, working long hours for a conference and showing up with confidence in who you are in Jesus. Show Notes:FILO 2024 Highlight VideoFILO 2024 Parody VideoFILO 2025: Live Stream and In-Person tickets are available for the lowest rate through May 31, 2024. Learn more at filo.org/filo2025. Don't forget, the 10% off discount code for podcast listeners is "podcast10". Summer Skills Cohort: Journey with like-minded technical artists for growth and support as well as meet with an industry leader for an in-depth discussion around a topic. The best part? Sharing how you’re learning and growing with your group for added support and accountability. You can register for all 3 sessions at a discounted rate, or choose which months you want to join. Learn more at filo.org/cohorts. Registration for the June session closes soon!Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

Episode 114: Toby Walters, Blake Hodges and Todd Elliott May 06, 2024

Toby and Blake wrestle the hosting role away from Todd to talk about everything that's happening at the FILO Conference starting tomorrow! Show Notes: FILO 2024: Conference starts tomorrow! Live Stream and In-Person tickets are still available. Learn more at filo.org/filo2024. Don't forget, the 10% off discount code for podcast listeners is "podcast10". Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

in a rut Apr 19, 2024

I was serving at my church recently and it is amazing how easy it can be to get in a rut. So much of what we do each week can start to feel the same and so we enter into each service with a mind set of “I’ve done this before. Let’s repeat what we’ve done in the past.” There is something really good about saving our energy and not reinventing the wheel every time, but I think we do ourselves, our teams and our congregations a huge disservice by not really living with and knowing the service as if we’ve never done it before. While the songs might be the same, and the order is pretty similar, God might want to be about something new this weekend. How is God moving in your life personally right now? It is probably different from the last time we did this same set list. If you sit with the songs for this weekend, they will probably hit slightly different from the last time we did them. God is always doing a new thing. And for us as humans it is easy to get into a rut in the name of simplifying or because we don’t give ourselves the time or space to get out of the rut. Whether you’re a worship leader or the audio engineer, drummer or lighting designer, God wants to do something new in our lives and in the lives of the people we are serving. What if we created space to engage with our services as if they were brand new to us? Looking for opportunities to gain a new perspective and be in community with others facing the same challenges? Check out our FILO cohorts!

Episode 113: Alex Seeley Apr 15, 2024

Todd is joined by Alex Seeley, the Lead Pastor at The Belonging Co Church in Nashville. They talk about the story of leaving everything and starting a church in another country that focused on people who were on tour: musicians, artists, production people. This beginning has given the church a unique perspective on serving together.Show Notes:FILO 2024: We are a couple weeks away from our next Conference! Learn more at filo.org/filo2024. Don't forget, the 10% off discount code for podcast listeners is "podcast10". Summer Skills Cohort: Journey with like-minded technical artists for growth and support as well as meet with an industry leader for an in-depth discussion around a topic. The best part? Sharing how you’re learning and growing with your group for added support and accountability. You can register for all 3 sessions at a discounted rate, or choose which months you want to join. Learn more at filo.org/cohorts. Registration is open!Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

Episode 112: Whit George Mar 25, 2024

Whit George joins Todd to talk about transitioning from creative director to lead pastor and how his early days helped to shape where Church on the Move is currently. From production and worship culture to what's best for the congregation as a whole, they talk about how all the areas of the church play a vital role. Show Notes:FILO 2024 Price Jump: The final price increase for FILO 2024 is happening on April 9th. Grab your tickets today and save those dollars! Don't forget, the 10% off discount code for podcast listeners is "podcast10". Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

Episode 111: Nathaniel Smith Mar 04, 2024

Nathaniel Smith joins Todd to talk about balancing family and work, personal and professional, and being intentional with the people in our lives. Show Notes:FILO 2024 Intensives and Lunch & Learn Events: We recently opened registration for our extended learning opportunities at FILO 2024. Intensives are longer form learning environments taught by our industry partners that are held a few hours before the conference kicks off. Lunch & Learns are one hour classes taught by our industry partners and include a free lunch! Check out these links to learn more and to register. Intensives. Lunch & Learn Events. Don't forget, the discount code for podcast listeners is "podcast10". FILO Cohorts: There are just a few spots left in the next Cohort that launches April 4th! Register today! If that Thursday weekly Cohort doesn't work in your schedule, you can view the rest of the year's schedule on our website. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

Episode 110: Trey McKnight Feb 12, 2024

Todd sits down with FILO 2024 main session speaker, Trey McKnight. Leaning on Trey's diverse experience, they discussed all the different ways that having a personal mission statement and being intentional with the time we have can help create the life we're wanting. Show Notes:FILO 2024 - The next price jump happens tomorrow, February 13, 2024! Don't delay! Tickets are available for the In-Person experience or the Live Stream experience. Learn more at filo.org/filo2024 and be sure to use code "podcast10" for 10% off your registration fee. First In Last Out... Together - FILO exists to encourage and support technical artists who create moments that connect people to Jesus, no matter where they are in the world or how big or small their church is. This means some of our friends in under-resourced communities can only afford to attend FILO for roughly $6. Unfortunately, revenue generated from the conference is simply no longer enough to fill the gap and reach more people. This is where you come in! Will you join us? FILO.org/donateMxU Pop-Ups - Check out these one-day events designed to equip you with leadership training and an opportunity to engage with other worship and tech leaders in your city. Todd will be at a few of the stops and he'd love to see you there! Learn more at getmxu.com/pop-ups.Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

Episode 109: Alex Sawyer Jan 22, 2024

Todd sits down with FILO Cohort Leader Alex Sawyer to talk about all kinds of topics: leading up, building trust, congregational approval, committees, mall church...and the list goes on.Show Notes:FILO Cohorts - Join other church technical artists in smaller group settings on Zoom to grow in your skills this year. The entire Cohort schedule has been released for 2024! Check out the 101, 201 and Summer Skills Cohorts at filo.org/coaching.FILO 2024 - The next price jump happens on February 13, 2024! Don't delay! Tickets are available for the In-Person experience or the Live Stream experience. Learn more at filo.org/filo2024 and be sure to use code "podcast10" for 10% off your registration fee. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

Episode 108: Paul Johnson Jan 01, 2024

Paul Johnson from Bravingbird joins the podcast. He and Todd talk about collaboration, leading up and down, and ways to create a culture of care and trust on worship and production teams.Show Notes:Bravingbird - Our guest today, Paul Johnson, is the Executive Director of Bravingbird. They are a non profit dedicated to telling stories and giving those away for free. You can learn more about their organization and view their beautiful works of art at bravingbird.com.FILO Cohorts - Join other church technical artists in smaller group settings on Zoom to grow in your skills this year. The entire Cohort schedule has been released for 2024! Check out the 101, 201 and Summer Skills Cohorts at filo.org/coaching.FILO 2024 - The next price jump happens on February 13, 2024! Don't delay! Tickets are available for the In-Person experience or the Live Stream experience. Learn more at filo.org/filo2024 and be sure to use code "podcast10" for 10% off your registration fee. FILO: Advent - If you didn't have a chance to engage in our Advent devotional during Christmas, it's not too late. Let the FILO Community encourage you and remind you of the reason for your hard work this season. Create a shared plan and read together on YouVersion or check out our YouTube Playlist!Donations - We are so grateful for the donors who contributed to FILO allowing us to continue reaching more tech artists globally in 2023. If you would like to learn more about our vision or how to donate, head to filo.org/donate.Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

Episode 107: Andrew Junge Dec 11, 2023

Todd and Andrew Junge talk about how to maximize being a portable church. Especially when there can be so many expectations for production in today's church, trying to get it all done while having to set up and tear down each week can be a challenge. Show Notes:Christmas is right around the corner! Look for ways to encourage your teams this holiday season. Consider one of these three options: FILO 2024 - Purchase tickets for your team to attend FILO 2024 In-Person or on the Live Stream. Learn more at filo.org/filo2024 and be sure to use code "podcast10" for 10% off your registration fee.FILO Book - Purchase copies of "I Love Jesus But I Hate Christmas" for your team. There are questions at the end of each short chapter, making it conducive for group discussion. Learn more at filo.org/book.FILO: Advent - Let the FILO Community encourage you and remind you of the reason for your hard work this season. Create a shared plan and read together on YouVersion or check out our YouTube Playlist!Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

Episode 106: Dara Samuels Nov 20, 2023

Dara joins Todd to talk about leading all types of volunteers, from the super committed to the "my mom signed me up to serve" variety. Show Notes:FILO 2024: Are you starting to talk budget for next year? New things are coming with the schedule and breakouts for FILO 2024, so make sure you get that added into your 2024 budget! Learn more at filo.org/filo2024 and be sure to use code "podcast10" for 10% off your registration fee.Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

Episode 105: Justin Firesheets Oct 30, 2023

Justin Firesheets joins the FILO Podcast to talk about dealing with change and leading through change from his experience in ministry at Church of the Highlands. Show Notes: Coaching Cohorts: Registration is open for a few more days for our final Cohort of 2023! Join this group of people just like you during this holiday season to invest in yourself and lean into community with others. Learn more and register at filo.org/coaching. Podcast listeners get a unique deal! Use code "podcast33" for $33 off your registration fee. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

Episode 104: Dan Johnson Oct 09, 2023

Todd gets to chat with Dan Johnson, the technical director at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, MI. They talk about how recruiting volunteers is way more than just having a ministry job fair. Show Notes: Coaching Cohorts: Our next winter Coaching Cohort will be announced in just a few days! Stick close to your email and socials to learn when it is live. Learn more and register at filo.org/coaching. Podcast listeners get a unique deal! Use code "podcast33" for $33 off your registration fee. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

give it away Sep 27, 2023

Volunteers….one word that holds a lot of meaning, pressure, baggage, frustration, oh hey…and joy…right? Did I hit a chord with any of those words? I don’t think any of us would want our first reaction to the topic of volunteers to be one of hardship or struggle - and maybe that isn’t your story and leading volunteers has always been easy and your teams have been drama free and your weekend rosters are full - that is awesome!! For so many of us though, we know that volunteers are a large part of what we do and we are totally sold on the concept, but we get stuck on all the details and challenges that come with leading a team of volunteers. I can’t promise to demystify all of your challenges with your volunteer team, but I do believe that if we become better at knowing our own tendencies of leading from a place of fear, scarcity or control and we can begin to lean into empowering people - that we will watch our relationship to leading volunteers transform. “But it’s easier if I just do it.” What might be more accurate is “it’s easier/faster/better if I just do it”. Leading volunteers and inviting them to be part of our ministry in significant ways can often feel like the road to lesser-quality products and slower workflows. So our tendency is to take all the high-pressure or high-profile tasks (things that are very visible or more likely to be critiqued by senior leadership) and do them ourselves. While this may be faster and maybe even better quality in the short term, what it does is leave our volunteers with roles and tasks that don’t feel significant or important. Some of the people who join our teams will be totally fine with that, but there are so many men and women on our teams who are waiting for someone to call something more out of them. A turning point for me was when another leader asked me if I could empower and train volunteers in such a way that I work myself out of a job. I loved the idea of this and you could even catch me telling people how important I thought it was to have volunteers leading at all levels. But when I actually started looking at all the parts of my job, I had to stare at my fear and tendency toward control in the face. I was afraid that if I gave certain tasks away then I would somehow lose my job or people would misunderstand my intentions and think I was being lazy. I was afraid that if certain things took a little bit of a dip in quality while I was training a volunteer to get them up to speed that I would be reprimanded and critiqued in some hurtful ways. Want the truth? Some of those things did happen, but the one really important thing that I did was have a few people in my corner who also believed in the idea, had my back, and gave me lots of affirmation and encouragement. The question I started asking myself was “What can I give away here?” This does require a bit of a slow down. The first place I have to slow down and pay a little more attention is in my knowledge of my volunteers. Am I getting to know my volunteers on a deeper level, do I know what they are interested in and curious about on our team and in our rooms? Maybe they have always wanted to know how to operate the video switcher, but feel intimidated by all the buttons. Maybe they have a deep prayer life and would love nothing more than to help facilitate some team connection time where we look at scripture and pray together. Do I know the untapped skills that my current volunteers bring to our team and maybe they just need a little more training, encouragement and an opportunity? The moments in my ministry career when I took a risk and allowed a volunteer to own something BIG were initially scary and fraught with some anxiety, but those moments also became some of the most energizing and rewarding. Empowering volunteers freed me up to lead more people and also celebrate the growth of each volunteer as they discovered some of their untapped potential. Empowering volunteers to lead and execute at higher level...

Episode 103: Albin Söderström & Johan Gustafsson Sep 18, 2023

Todd is joined by the original Swedish Gurus of Tech, Johan and Albin. They talk about the importance of community within the local church technical community, whether you're Swedish or not. Show Notes: Christmas Playlist: Need a playlist for all those Christmas planning meetings you're about to have (or already having)? We've got you covered! We've curated over two hours of upbeat, feel-good, get ya in that holiday mood, Christmas music. Download now on Spotify! Coaching Cohorts: Our next winter Coaching Cohort will be announced soon! Be the first to know and have first dibs on the sign ups when you join the waiting list. This is the perfect session to participate in, leading up to the Christmas season! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

gear upgrades Sep 01, 2023

As a church tech, solving technical issues can definitely be a challenge. But what can be even more difficult at times is trying to get others (especially our leaders) on board with bigger-picture technology changes, especially if it requires substantial finances.How do we handle those situations? I know we all want to be good stewards and make our current gear last as long as possible, but there is always a limit to how far the MacGyver paperclip-and-duct-tape approach can get us. And if we’re spending additional energy (either mental or physical) maintaining a stressful Band-aid system, then we really aren’t being very efficient or stewarding our time as well as we should.So how can we make sure we’re doing our part to help our leaders understand the importance of investing in the right types of technology infrastructure? Here are three quick things to keep in mind:1. Have a plan.I was reading recently in the book of Nehemiah, where the author told the King about his desire to return to Jerusalem to help rebuild the city’s wall. When the King pressed him further about what he wanted, Nehemiah was immediately able to answer with a detailed plan of what he wanted to do, what help he needed, and what he hoped to accomplish.As tech leaders, we need to be able to emulate Nehemiah’s approach. It’s one thing to campaign for equipment upgrades. It’s something else entirely to already have a plan formulated that can help address any questions our leaders may have.Have I thought through the full cost, not just of the big items, but also of any necessary, ancillary items like accessories, connectors/converters, cables, etc.? Nothing is worse for a leader than to be presented with a budget, only to have someone come back and ask for more money because they forgot about a detail.Have I mapped out the timeline, especially knowing that there may be issues with timely delivery due to supply chain shortages? How will the labor be addressed, and how long will that take? Does a third party (like a licensed, insured rigger or electrician) need to be involved?How will the install or upgrade affect our existing workflow and event schedule? Will we have limited features or restricted access to our current system for a certain number of days while old parts are being replaced with new ones?What about training and after-install (or -purchase) support and troubleshooting? Warranty coverage? Back-up plans if something doesn’t go as planned?If I demonstrate that I have a well-planned process mapped out, it becomes much easier for my leaders to get on board with my proposal. It allows me to gain credibility and buy-in, and it leads to a level of trust being established because I’ve shown that I can handle the details and address potential concerns in advance.2. Determine the long-term COO and ROI.If you’re not familiar, these acronyms are important to note anytime equipment upgrades are necessary, because very rarely is an expense just a one-time thing. It often has an impact far beyond the date of the actual install itself.Here’s a scenario. I’ve got a proposal to move away from conventional theatrical lighting fixtures and replace them with LED fixtures. I shouldn’t just say that it’s a flat $15,000 expense, for instance.I need to be able to map out the cost of ownership (COO) for my current situation and the future one, and then be able to show a potential timeline for the return on my investment (ROI).With the conventional fixtures, we might spend a certain amount of money every year on replacement lamps, gels, lift rentals (to be able to access the lights above the seating area), and a certain amount of time (I can probably extrapolate a ballpark hourly rate for whoever does the work). All of those items factor together as part of my current cost of ownership.Moving to an LED lighting system removes nearly all of those things. So I’m not just making a bulk purchase of however many thousands of dollars. At the same time,

Episode 102: Dylan Hofmann Aug 28, 2023

Dylan Hofmann joins Todd to talk about volunteers. How to develop a volunteer friendly culture from the recruiting process all the way through developing your key volunteer leaders. Show Notes: FILO Blog: New blogs have recently been released! Read about caring for volunteers, leading through transition and creating a culture of celebration. Check them out at filo.org/blog. I Love Jesus But I Hate Christmas: Learn more about today's podcast topic by reading certain chapters of Todd Elliott's book. Chapters 20, 22 and 23 are a good place to start. Learn more at filo.org/book. (Buying 10+ copies at a discount for your team and walking through the content together is a great idea!) Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

how to lead volunteers when you don’t have time Aug 14, 2023

Here at FILO, one of the most frequent challenges we hear about is how to lead volunteers. Church production is busy and it’s easy to feel stuck when we need to spend most of our time on production systems. How can we make more time to work on developing our volunteers?I have some ideas for you, but first I need to share a hard truth. The pressing needs of the church–the next set design, the next ministry event, or the handheld mic that just died in the kid's wing – will always demand your time. There’s no way around it, there’s no shortcut - you have to make time to invest in your volunteers. However, I want to share with you 2 ways you can keep leading volunteers at the forefront of your work.Make volunteer growth part of your regular rhythmsIt’s important to make volunteer growth part of your annual, weekly, and monthly rhythms. Just like you have systems for patching the stage, programming lighting cues, and building ProPresenter playlists, you need a system for how you manage volunteers.Start by identifying how you can do this regularly throughout the year. Take volunteer recruiting, for example. On the first day of every month, set a reminder to email all of the ministry leaders in your church and ask them if they know anyone who might want to serve on the production team. Once a quarter, ask your communications team if you can have a platform announcement or social media post to recruit people. Next time you go to send a PCO blockout request email, encourage your volunteers to ask if their friends might be interested in joining the team.Right now you might only intentionally recruit 1-2 times per year, but if you use the examples above, you’ll now be recruiting 15-20 times per year! The same goes for training and growth. How often could you host a team night? How often can you take a volunteer out to coffee or ask them to come to a rehearsal to catch up? How can you make volunteer development a regular part of your work?You’re a production leader - you’re a master of complicated systems. What you need is a system to manage the most important aspect of your ministry: your volunteers.Here are some questions to consider as you create your own volunteer growth system:What app or tool are you going to use to schedule these rhythms?What are the best months of the year to focus on training and growth? (Hint: it’s after December and April)What things are you already doing? How can you improve that? If you go to the FILO conference (which you should!), could you host a team dinner when you get back to share what you learned with the rest of your team?What’s one creative way you could recruit people for your team? (A BTS video of a rehearsal? Recording and sharing your comm feed with multi-view?)We often get stuck because we think engaging volunteers needs to be extravagant. If you can host a team night, great! But don’t reinvent the wheel here - look for the small steps you can take each week and month to keep volunteer leadership at the forefront of your work.The best part of having a volunteer system is you don’t have to maintain the system alone, which brings me to my next point.Empower your team by asking for helpA lot of production leaders believe the lie that it's up to us to recruit, train, and grow our volunteers. But don’t forget - you already have a committed team who helps make Sunday happen on a regular basis. These are the same people who will help you grow the team!What would it look like for you to ask your volunteers to reach out to their friends? What would it look like to have your volunteers train other volunteers? Can you ask them to help you schedule and plan training events?Say you’re getting ready for Christmas and you have to do an entire stage redesign for a new sermon series and then change all of it for Christmas Eve. Are you going to do this all by yourself? Of course not! You're going to get your team and as many people as you possibly can together to make that happen in time.

Episode 101: Neil Sternberg Aug 07, 2023

Todd talks with FILO and Fusion Productions' leadership coach Neil Sternberg. They talk about how important it is to understand who we are so that we can become the most effective technical artist possible. Show Notes: Coaching Cohorts: Our next fall Coaching Cohorts will be announced soon! Be the first to know and have first dibs on the sign ups when you join the waiting list. FILO Community NFP: At the beginning of 2023, FILO became a non profit! FILO is now open to receive donations toward raising $100,000 in 2023. Will you join us? Learn more and donate at filo.org/donate. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

standby… go transition! Jul 28, 2023

Navigating change is difficult work. Full stop. Whatever the change may bring as an outcome - good or bad, the actual process of changing from an established routine to the unknown, IS difficult. In our world of producing services for the church environment - change is going to happen. How we handle the change and choose to carry ourselves through the process is where the learning and growth happens. Navigating changes in leadership, while leading others is challenging. But it can be rewarding if we take a posture of humbleness and curiosity into the uncertainty of the new. SERVICE TRANSITIONS Transitions are important. In our church services, we will strive to make the shift from one element to the next as smooth as possible. We will rehearse that key change until each instrument of the band feels cohesive. We will tweak the timing on the lyric slides to match the tempo of the tune. We will practice the moment when we enter into prayer from a song until it flows together well. As a group, we will pour into these details - all for the opportunity to help eliminate distractions and usher people into a closer relationship with God. I believe we are called to commit that same attention to detail and care to our team relationships as well. PEOPLE TRANSITIONS Transitions for staff, leaders, and key volunteers on your teams are all going to happen. Setting a foundation of trust and connection will ease the channels of communication when changes occur. I have come to an understanding of how ministry work comes in seasons. Some seasons are longer than others and can lead to a lifetime of working alongside someone or even a group of people. Some seasons are short and powerful - with lots of learning and quick growth for your team. As these seasons change - let us be open to the idea that if things are feeling great and clicking on all cylinders for you right now, there will come a time when that shifts and your team will struggle. This looks different for all of us - it could be lower recruitment numbers during a specific time of year. It could be that your best volunteer now has to move away for another opportunity. It could be family dynamics or health concerns, or really anything that causes change within your ministry team. Leading through these changes will grow your influence with the team. Let’s be open, honest, and caring during these times. Sharing your thoughts with team members, either individually or collectively, will help to bring a cohesive team together. Unity around a change is a great way to keep learning through the process. Here are some key ways to bring a team together around a new idea or change. First, celebrate where you have been as a team. Call out the things that are important to your group and will remain a strong part of your culture as you go forward. Over-communicate the vision for where you want the team to be as you look further ahead. Pastor Andy Stanley is famous for saying: “Vision is a mental picture of what could be, fueled by a passion that it should be.” If we can lean on the vision of our teams and trust the process to move forward, we are already pressing into the changes from a healthy position. Often, an unexpected change can bring a sense of disunity and can stir up questions of stability. By shifting our focus back to the tenets that we have built upon, we are able to lead from a place of faith rather than fear. Faith that God has seen us through many storms, that He has never failed, and that He won’t let us fall. We should also be quick to understand that transitions are necessary. We learn through the loss of what came before. A disruption to the status quo can often push us into a place of learning and development. Growth happens on the edge of your comfort zone. If we can check our posture to be sure that we remain humble - it will help us to lead from a place of curiosity rather than skepticism. This is a hard practice to master. We should start with trust and seek to understa...

Episode 100: Aubrey, Todd, Nate, Chelsea Jul 17, 2023

Episode 100! Aubrey takes the reigns as the host to interview Chelsea, Nate and Todd to talk about ways to celebrate. Celebrate big wins and small wins. Celebrate individuals and celebrating as a team. Show Notes:Podcast Guests: Todd Elliott - FounderNate Parker - Technical ProducerChelsea Pribyl - Chief Operations OfficerPodcast Host:Aubrey Wentz - Event Host & Cohort LeaderA Picture of Team Mayo:Pom Pom Encouragement:Photo Credit: Christina PendletonFILO Book Chapters:Chelsea references 2 chapters in I Love Jesus But I Hate Christmas, by Todd Elliott:Chapter 22: Production is Tough. Let's Enjoy ItChapter 37: Celebrate the Wins Summer Skills Cohort: Our next session about all things lighting is coming up soon! Learn more at filo.org/coaching. We hope you can join us.Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

retaining volunteers: curiosity, pursuit and celebration Jun 30, 2023

In my early days as a young church technical director, I quickly identified that my strengths were not in the actual operation of the equipment. I know what you’re thinking. It’s difficult to be a church TD if you don’t know how to run the gear! Well, as frustrating and defeating as that was, it allowed me to hone my leadership skills instead and build volunteer teams that were made up of people that had an interest in the technology. They were passionate about learning how to improve and get the most from the equipment and they were motivated to serve the ministry I was leading as well as the church at large. I identified leaders within each of my audio, video and lighting teams and since I lacked the specific knowledge and complete skill set to train my volunteers on the gear and on the science of tech, I created training experiences. I would pair those volunteer leaders with my coworkers, contractors or friends who had specific knowledge worth sharing. My team leaders would be trained and then they would pass along those skills to the other volunteers they served with. And suddenly my frustration started shifting into freedom. Freedom to focus on overseeing all aspects of production for that ministry, delegate skill development to people I trusted, and freedom to lean into the way God wired me: for shepherding. One of the most beautiful things about Jesus’ disciples is how unique and diverse they were. They were a group of people made up of various professional backgrounds, disabilities, wealth statuses and viewpoints. These 12 disciples might have looked like a random group assembled out of confusion, but Jesus saw the potential and picked them for a purpose. We all know that volunteers are a church’s lifeline. They are the solution to how a leader’s dreams can become a reality, how big plans can take shape and most importantly, how our churches can reach more people for Christ. Volunteers are disciples. Each of them is unique. And they must be and deserve to be shepherded and cared for intentionally. Get curious about your people. Who are the key people in their lives? Family members, significant others, children? What do they do for a living? What are their hobbies? Curtis Templeton says that “Leaders have to smell like their sheep. They cannot smell like them through Planning Center.” The idea here is that shepherding includes getting to know your people. You can’t expect them to take direction or stick around for the long haul if you only know them for the tasks they can perform. They want to be seen and known for who they are entirely, not just on a Sunday morning. And you can’t get to know them just through scheduling and communicating through PCO. Take the time to connect before or after a service. Host a fun night where they can bring their families. Call them during the week just to check in. You will find that over time, team members will open up to you. And dare I even say, they’ll likely recruit their friends and family to join their team! Pursue your people. Ask what they’re enjoying about their role on your team. Do they have any ideas on how to make it better? Do you see any areas where they could grow in their skills or advance to new levels of leadership? What are their spiritual gifts? How are they wired? Are they in the right seat on your team? What motivates them in their work? The more deep and intentional work you can do in this area, the more that your people will feel challenged to stay sharp in their role. And the more they will understand your goals and expectations for the team and desire to be a part of the solution. Celebrate your people often. I could simply call it “encourage” or “acknowledge”, but that doesn’t fully encapsulate the intention! Celebrating is an act of truly honoring someone else. It is a little too easy to think that honoring others takes too much time or that it isn’t important or that someone else will do it. So we have a tendency to let it slide and fall by t...

Episode 099: Arnez Bonsol Jun 26, 2023

Todd sits down and finally talks to Arnez Bonsol instead of just talking about him on the podcast. They talk about Arnez's secret sauce when it comes to building teams and developing people. Show Notes: Summer Skills Cohort: Our next session about all things audio is coming up in just a couple of weeks! Can't make it? Jump into the August session all about lighting. Learn more at filo.org/coaching. We hope you can join us. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 098: Carlos Whittaker Jun 05, 2023

Author, social media influencer and FILO Main Session Speaker, Carlos Whittaker joins Todd to talk about his new book "How to Human".Show Notes:Summer Skills Cohort: The very first session kicks off next week! Can't make it then? Jump into one of the sessions in July or August! Learn more at filo.org/coaching. We hope you can join us.Carlos Whittaker's Books: Carlos has written multiple captivating and life-changing books. We encourage you to check them out! carloswhittaker.com/booksCarlos Whittaker at the FILO Conference: Carlos was a Main Session Speaker at FILO 2021. Check out his message. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 097: Joanne Botten May 15, 2023

Todd is joined by Joanne Botten, long time Willow Creek volunteer turned production staff turned the leader of Arts and Worship at Willow Creek South Barrington. They get a chance to talk through surviving through different eras of a church's story and the necessary focus on people.Show Notes:FILO 2024 Conference: Registration has opened for FILO 2024! In-Conference pricing ends May 31, 2023 and is the lowest pricing you'll have access to all year. Learn more and register today at filo.org/filo2024.Summer Skills Cohort: Looking to extend the FILO Conference into the rest of the year? Join us this summer for a 3-month Cohort experience. Each session you’ll journey with like-minded technical artists for growth and support. Then, you’ll meet with an industry leader for an in-depth discussion around audio, video, and lighting. The best part? Sharing how you’re learning and growing with your cohort for added support and accountability.There will be a 90 minute session once a month for the 3 months of summer (June, July, August) and you can register for all 3 at a discounted rate, or pick and choose which months you want to join and register for them individually. Learn more at filo.org/coaching.Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 096: Pastor Ricky Jenkins Apr 24, 2023

Todd sits down with Pastor Ricky Jenkins, Main Session speaker for FILO 2023. They talk about what a senior pastor needs from their tech team, but more importantly what a senior leader needs to provide for their tech team.Show Notes:FILO 2023 Conference: The Conference is in one week on May 2nd and 3rd! Learn more at filo.org/filo2023. We hope you join us and today’s podcast guest, Pastor Ricky Jenkins, at FILO 2023.Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 095: James Jaskowiak Apr 03, 2023

Todd sits down with James Jaskowiak, the production manager at Willow Creek's Huntley campus where Todd serves on the production team. They talk about living life with people versus just serving with them and how important it is to continually stretch the skills of our volunteers. Show Notes:I Love Jesus But I Hate Christmas: This book by Todd Elliott is an owner’s manual for how to live the abundant life of a technical artist in the local church. Learn more about it and order yours today at filo.org/book.FILO 2023 Conference: The Conference is right around the corner on May 2nd and 3rd! Learn more at filo.org/filo2023. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

becoming a leader Mar 30, 2023

You’re a tech person. You know how to get stuff done. Chances are you are super competent at some aspect of production: you’re an amazing audio engineer; you crush video editing; you can shine light in people’s eyes like nobody’s business. And because you’ve been good at a piece of the whole production, it makes sense that you might get promoted to lead the entire production team. Unfortunately for you, the only thing you really know about leading a production team is how you would have done it differently from your last boss. You also know how to do your old job really well. Both of these perspectives are not bad to have, but they fall far short of what is required to lead a production team. LET GO This was one of the more difficult parts for me about becoming a leader. I was a really good audio engineer. Stuff sounded awesome when I was behind the console. When I had to move into more of a leadership role and hire someone else to mix audio, I realized how much I loved it and that I didn’t like it when someone else mixed. (Looking back, I was probably deriving too much of my significance from my killer mix.) When you start leading people, you have to let go of the specific tasks that you used to love to do. The whole point of having a team is to increase the capacity of your department, which means you need to stop doing and let someone else take over. However, someone forgot to tell me that those tasks I was so good at weren’t getting done exactly the way I would do them. I found myself butting in all the time, or redoing something when people weren’t looking. After banging my head against this wall for a while, I asked myself, “Is the new person’s mix wrong, or just not my preference?” I realized that I needed to give that new person some space to learn and grow and make that task their own, without imposing my way of doing it on them. I also realized that I needed this person to succeed. I was already buried by the workload, and I knew that if I drove him away, I would not survive myself. Maybe the mix wasn’t so bad after all. I owed it to myself to back off. I owed it to my family to back off. And most importantly, I owed it to my team member to back off. Remember when I said our only experience in leading was just not doing it the way my boss leads me? How many of us have had bosses who were always in our business and not letting us make our own decisions? How many times did we wish they would just give us some space and some actual decision making power? If you aren’t letting go of your favorite tasks so that others can do them, you are just like your boss. Learning to let go is one of the first challenges to overcome when you start leading people. Then learning the difference between your preference and something being wrong is also a key factor when letting go. It will definitely not be done the way you did it, but that doesn’t automatically make it wrong. This whole letting go conundrum is just the beginning of figuring out what it means to lead a team. FIGURE OUT THE WHY, NOT THE HOW Up until this point, you’ve been the “get it done” person. Your job has been to figure out the “how” of most situations. As you start to delegate and lead others, it is important to shift your thinking away from the exact way something will be accomplished and to think at a higher level. The whole idea of leading a team is to empower them to figure stuff out within their sphere of responsibility. This is one step beyond letting go, this is empowering someone to take it to the next level. What was once you doing everything, now you’ve got a team maximizing each area, bringing their personalities and skills to the table. With all the extra work getting done comes the reality that while each person is bringing their best to the table, and each individual has a different idea of what should be done. With all those different ideas, it is important for someone to provide a framework for everyone to work inside of.

5 tips for creating compelling story videos Mar 17, 2023

Testimonial videos, story videos, mini-documentaries...whatever you call it, many tech people and worship leaders are familiar with this type of video. You have probably made them before, and will likely make them again. Producing these types of videos requires a wide range of skills, some of which you may possess, and some of which you may not, depending on your role and expertise. As a creative video content creator who makes my living producing videos, below are 5 simple tips when making a story video for a worship service. TIP 1: Beginning, Middle, End Regardless of your subject, every story has one thing in common. It has a beginning, a middle, and an ending. While this is a simple truth, I have found this helpful for creative decision-making. This structure allows you to creatively think, "How would I like to treat the beginning?" Isolate that part just for a minute, and you can start the video in many different ways, whether it be text on screen, a hook line of something compelling your subject said, a broad introduction to the subject the story tackles, stats, animation, etc. etc. Next comes the middle, which is typically the bulk of the story journey, and finally is the ending. The ending is usually something that was learned from the journey, what has changed in the person's life, or what has happened as a result of this story. Similar to the beginning, if you isolate the ending and ask "How would I like to treat the ending?", you could potentially come up with some creative ways to end the video that are different than before. It's helpful to think of your beginning/middle/end before filming, because it can inform what you would shoot and how you would shoot it. And even if you decide not to be creative with your beginning/middle/end, realize that it still exists in your story, and make sure that each section is flushed out appropriately so the viewer travels the journey you want them to travel. TIP 2: Tell the Story Visually I made my living in the theater world before crossing over to video full-time, and I had a rule of thumb when I would direct musicals or plays. The rule was this: I want my staging to tell the story in such a way that a deaf person could understand it. In other words, I want to tell the story visually, and not rely on audio to tell it. Video is a visual medium, like photography, and like theater. We should take advantage of that. For interview videos I want to watch them talking as little as possible. Which means I need to figure out what visuals I can use to cover up their interview. B-roll footage, stock footage, animated text, photos, drawings...there are many visual options available to tell the story visually. TIP 3: Switch Your Music Track This tip is very tactical, but there are so many story videos that only use one music track for the whole video. Music is the tool in your story video that evokes the mood, feel, and emotion of the story. If you want the entire video to have one emotion or feeling, by all means use one music track. But I have found that many stories involve struggle or conflict of some kind, and using music can amplify that struggle. I've also found that many story videos have happy endings, which would potentially call for a different music track. As you think of your beginning/middle/end, consider the idea of switching your music track to help tell your story musically. TIP 4: Know Your Gear Alrighty tech people, this is your section. The tip here is to KNOW your gear. We all want more gear. We all love gear. And there's always new gear coming out that can replace the gear we're using. So let's just get that out of the way. With that said, it is important to know the gear you do have. Do you know how the camera works? How to shoot in manual mode? Where to place the microphone? What types of microphones are good in what situations? The color temperature of your light? Where to place the light or lights? How you would light the subject with 2 lights vs 3 lights...

Episode 094: Jon Jorgenson Mar 13, 2023

Todd gets to chat with Jon Jorgenson, Creative and Teaching Pastor at Soul City Church, and FILO 2023 Main Session speaker. They talk about Jon's journey with FILO and about the things he's learned going from a lone creative person to working with a team to execute a service.Show Notes:FILO 2023 Conference: The Conference is right around the corner on May 2nd and 3rd! Be sure to take advantage of the Early Bird registration rates that are available through March 27th. Learn more at filo.org/filo2023. We hope you join us and today’s podcast guest, Jon Jorgenson, at FILO 2023.Bonus Learning Opportunities at FILO 2023: If you're attending the conference In-Person, consider attending one of our pre-conference Tuesday Intensives or Wednesday Lunch & Learn events. Registration required. (Lunch & Learn events are available to Live-Stream participants and do not require registration.)Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

the FILO for the conference Mar 06, 2023

It is my honor and privilege to serve on the FILO Core Team as the Technical Producer for the FILO Conference. From the very beginning, before FILO even had its name, this role has brought with it a deep sense of belonging for my career and to my walk with God. Dreaming of what this conference could provide for others and how to execute that vision continues to stretch and strengthen our team. The FILO Conference has been shaped and adapted over the years and has brought many lessons, amazing memories, and mountain-top spiritual experiences to our community. The FILO community has grown from a few hundred, gathering at a local church, to include both a virtual and international community of thousands. As the reach has expanded, our focus remains the same. The conference exists to provide a one-of-a-kind experience of community, skill development and inspiration for technical artists in the local church. The production team for the main sessions at the conference is driven to deliver this vision. We are a team of fellow technicians, coming together to provide a conference FOR our fellow technicians. There is a responsibility to give back, provide an actual space specifically for our colleagues, to be a blessing to them and to offer a place of respite from the grind. Ministry work is non-stop. Sunday comes every week. This team is here to provide an experience that will help refuel, re engage, reconnect, and equip our friends in Christ. We offer a sacrifice to God - to further his kingdom here, among our peers. We acknowledge that this sacrifice requires a surrender of comfort for our team. The call times are early, the hours are long, we are truly first in and last out - FOR other leaders. When a leader gets better, our churches get better. This team becomes the backbone of the main sessions. Chelsea, our executive producer and I often find ourselves saying “the team is everything”. What we mean is that our team members are incredibly important and vital to the overall success of the conference. More than the skills that they provide, more than the tasks that they complete, more than the amount of time that they dedicate towards serving. Who they are as individuals, as brothers and sisters in Christ, and as friends - is what makes the team stronger and better equipped for the next challenge. Our combined efforts are stronger than what we bring as individuals. To stand shoulder to shoulder and work together towards our common vision is what creates the atmosphere for the main sessions. There are a handful of values that have helped to define our team, ways of working towards being healthier and sustaining success. Our team is committed to these few concepts and moving towards these truths with our actions and our words. In no particular order… The first value can be said in many different ways, I like the meaning when said this way: Quality is never an accident. Perfection isn’t the goal. Preparation is. We will deliver high quality in all aspects of our work. We will strive for excellence and prepare like it's going out of style. This value can be seen in our production meetings, in our huddles before starting each day of the conference, in our rehearsals and run-throughs, and in the conversations between tasks - all striving to become better prepared. Questions help the team learn and communication is open and honest. We will rely on each other to steward the gifts that God has given us. The next value is fun. We value laughter and joy. If we aren’t having fun, we will lose sight of the “why”. Humor brings a sense of ease and comfort to our time together. If we can keep a sharp focus, with high energy and light spirits, our tasks will remain fresh and our execution will become more natural. Our value for having fun is tied closely to caring for each other. We know that times will get tough and we when they do - we will keep calm spirits and give grace to one another. Without it,

Episode 093: Pete Wright Feb 20, 2023

Todd talks with Pete Wright from Sun Grove Church, or as you probably know him @sweetpete.w on Instagram. They talk about how important it is to take care of ourselves if we hope to last long term.Show Notes:FILO 2023 Conference: The Conference website has been updated! Check out the schedule, discounted hotels, faculty, Intensives and Lunch and Learn events and more at filo.org/filo2023. I Love Jesus But I Hate Christmas: This book by Todd Elliott is an owner's manual for how to live the abundant life of a technical artist in the local church. Learn more about it and order yours today at filo.org/book.Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

safe spaces Feb 17, 2023

Do you ever find yourself in the middle of a more than usual busy week full of meetings, emails, and task lists, and yet, you feel isolated and alone? So often we get into our “to-do” list - heads down, making changes happen, moving projects forward - but we miss out on connecting with the team of people that we get to do it with. Then, for some of us, the team of people that we are partnered with is dysfunctional, hard to get along with, and triggers us at every turn. When we pause long enough to take a breath and check in with our tired soul, we find that what we really crave is to be seen, known and valued. The truth is (and we have all probably heard this at some point in time if we have been part of a church for any length of time), we are not created to move about life alone. We were created for community - to work together, play together and yes, - even struggle together. Jesus prays for us in John 17 saying: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." When was the last time you felt unity with other people, connected to a common purpose, like all of you were pulling on the same rope in the same direction? As leaders, one of our main roles is to foster connection and community for those that we lead. Multiple times in scripture we see the importance of togetherness - Adam and Eve in the garden, Ruth and Esther journeying to a foreign land, Jesus and his disciples at the passover table, Paul and Timothy as the leadership baton was passed - and so many more. When we journey alone, we actually miss out on the full expression of who God is - the togetherness that Jesus prays for us in John 17. The Risk of Being Known For the past 15 years of ministry, I have seen healthy versions of community and toxic versions of community. I have seen relationships strengthened through conflict that then pursued reconciliation and I have seen teams torn apart by conflict that was ignored or pushed to the bottom of an inbox. A few years ago, the staff team that I was a part of decided to get a bit more intentional about developing community. We met weekly with an executive coach and he began to give us language to express our emotional needs (sounds super fun and not uncomfortable at all right?!). At first our team was not too sure; the truth was that I didn’t really want the guys on my team to know that sometimes I felt inadequate and that I didn’t ever let anyone come close to seeing it because I was worried about being judged. I had put in a lot of effort to make sure I knew how to minimize tears in meetings and hold it together. With all that effort came a lot of loneliness, isolation, and a feeling of suffocation at times that no one knew just how overwhelmed I was at the growing lists of tasks and the organizational dysfunction. One day in our lovely, totally comfortable (if you haven’t picked up on the sarcasm here, please do) emotional needs group, it was my turn to share. All I had to do was look at a list of 10 emotional needs and name the one I needed. As I looked at the list, I saw one that stuck out: “containment”. Containment is the emotional need that just asks for a safe space to say the ugly things; to cry and be upset and for it to just be held and left there - not fixed or strategized upon. I needed that. My body needed an emotional pressure release if I was going to be able to keep doing all that I was doing. So I took a risk and I shared. I talked about the pressure I felt to hold it all together and the microscope that I felt the congregation had me under.

practice hospitality Feb 03, 2023

I’ve been slowly making my way through the book of Romans. Did I mention slowly? This morning I read Romans 12, a chapter we all know pretty well. In fact, as I started reading it, I thought to myself...I know this...do I really need to read it again? My next thought was that I should read it again. If nothing else, I’m filling my mind with excellent thoughts. Then I got to the end of the verse...Practice Hospitality. Like most moments of revelation while reading the Bible, this one struck me in a profound way. This is a command. It is for all of us, not just for the people who have the gift of hospitality, which Paul talks about later. We are all called to practice hospitality with each other...to everyone. The more interesting word in this sentence is “practice”. Meaning it isn’t an automatic response for most of us, that it takes work to be hospitable to each other. We need to practice it. When I think of practicing something, it is usually about rehearsing a service so that we can execute it without creating a distraction. Or one step before this, working through lighting cues before people are waiting on me so that I know that they will work; checking the graphics for typos before the service starts. In the world of church production, creating a distraction-free environment takes practice. It doesn’t just happen by itself. This is something all of us technical artists don’t take for granted. If we want the service to be amazing, it takes work. It takes practice. Maybe Paul simply meant that we needed to open up our houses to people or learn how to cook for a large group. But I think the word hospitality applies to all of us for a reason. It is other-focused. It is an opportunity for us to not just fixate on ourselves...to think about someone else and what they might need in a situation. I don’t know about you, but so often I’m trying to cover my own stuff. I don’t care about anyone else’s issues, I just don’t want my stuff to fail. I was talking with someone who is now a friend, but around 10 years ago we didn’t know each other and were working on a project together. At the time, he had some idea that I thought was crazy, but I figured that it didn’t really affect me and that if he wanted to do something crazy, knock yourself out. After reading this verse, I remembered this moment. I was only worried about getting my work done, and I didn’t care about my now friend’s work, or anyone else’s. You make sure you pull together your crazy idea and I’ll worry about my own stuff. This is my natural instinct. Do your job and I’ll do mine. I’m definitely not thinking about how I can be hospitable to others. How can I move toward thinking of others more often? What does it really mean to practice hospitality in my world? When I practice the piano, it is usually painful and frustrating. Everything sounds bad and I hit the wrong keys a lot. Practicing anything at first can be this way. So I’m guessing that includes practicing hospitality. Just because it is awkward and frustrating doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep practicing it. Each time we show hospitality to someone it will get easier. Each time we think of others, it will become more of a natural reaction. What can I do to practice the act of being hospitable to someone this week? What does it look like to think of someone else first? Whether in your production setting at church or at your job or with your family, practice hospitality. Interested in joining a community of other technical artists trying to create healthy environments where we can work together and make ideas happen? Check out FILO Coaching!

Episode 092: Megan Fate Marshman Jan 30, 2023

Todd is joined by Megan Fate Marshman, Teaching Pastor at Willow Creek Church and Main Session Speaker at the upcoming FILO 2023 Conference. They talk about the importance of humility and not just understanding who God is, but who we are.Show Notes:FILO 2023 Conference: Prices go up on February 15th, 2023 on all tickets for the upcoming FILO 2023 Conference in Chicago, IL. Learn more at FILO.ORG/FILO2023. We hope you join us and today's podcast guest, Megan Fate Marshman, at FILO 2023.FILO Coaching Cohorts: Join the waitlist so that you’re the first to hear when they launch. Head to filo.org/coaching to learn more.Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 091: Lyndsey Van Wyk Jan 09, 2023

Todd has a conversation with Lyndsey Van Wyk, the Service & Event Producer at Soul City Church in Chicago. They talk about producing events, volunteering at church and working through change with the whole team.Show Notes:FILO Advent: Recenter yourself after the heavy lift of Christmas by revisiting our Advent devotional series. You can access all of the devotionals on YouVersion, our YouTube Channel or our Blog. FILO 2023 Conference: Prices go up on February 15th, 2023 on all tickets for the upcoming FILO 2023 Conference in Chicago, IL. Learn more at FILO.ORG/FILO2023.Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

advent week 4 – waiting on a promise Dec 24, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your teams, and receive daily reminders.https://youtu.be/Sori8TbC0EIToday we are looking at a passage from Luke, chapter 2, verses 25-33.Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.Have you ever waited for something? I don't mean waiting on your coffee or for the update to ProPresenter. I mean something with significant life implications.In Luke 2, we meet a man named Simeon. He was a great guy, "righteous and devout." He was one of the Israelites who was waiting on the Messiah. They were waiting on Him to free them from bondage. See, they had been torn down, divided, and destroyed by the Assyrians and were now ruled by the Romans. They had hope, though. The Old Testament foretold of a messiah who would come and free them. The problem was that no one knew when He would come. Well, no one but Simeon. Simeon had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen this Messiah. Can you imagine going every day wondering, "Will this be the day?" He had a promise, but he had to wait. And talk about a promise; this is the savior of all humankind we're talking about here!Luke writes that Simeon felt moved by the spirit to head into the temple courts one day - the day Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple to make the required sacrifice. It says that Simeon took Jesus in his arms and knew that he was holding the Savior. Simeon knew he had seen what God had promised, and that hope had come. I can only imagine his excitement as he praised God at that moment. God's fulfillment of His promises doesn't always look like we expect. Simeon was waiting on the Messiah, but I don't know that He was expecting it to come as a baby. Similarly, the Israelites expected a messiah to overthrow Roman rule and establish a new kingdom. They didn't realize that Jesus would instead come and free us from the bondage of sin and establish a kingdom that supersedes the governments of the day.I remember years ago waiting on God to fulfill a calling He had in my life. After five years of waiting, during a time I wasn’t looking for God to show up, He led me to a place that was better than I could have ever expected. The way God presented it in my life made me doubtless that it was God-ordained.I don't know what promises you may be waiting for during this season. Maybe it's the promise of rest or a renewed purpose. No matter what it is, my prayer would be that this Christmas season, you find peace because God shows up to those who wait on His promises. It's not always easy waiting, but He always delivers what He promises in His time.Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

advent week 4 – God’s message to the overlooked Dec 23, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your teams, and receive daily reminders. https://youtu.be/YP3mXynUqHM Today we are looking at a passage from Luke, chapter 2, verses 8-20. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. I imagine that all of us are relatively familiar with the Christmas story as told in Luke 2. That tends to be one of the most popular Bible passages shared during the Christmas season. Unfortunately, when we get used to hearing or reading something, it can become easy to gloss over some details. A couple of years ago, my pastor pointed out something about this narrative that I’d never considered, and it’s about the shepherds. As Luke 2:8-20 (NIV) reminds us, these lonely shepherds out in the fields were the first ones to get the message about Christ’s birth. But why them? Why not someone else? In those days, being a shepherd was an occupation commonly seen as one towards the bottom rungs of society. Shepherds tended to be outcasts since they constantly lived out in the fields. They probably didn’t have many great social relationships due to their constant isolation, they were often overlooked or forgotten by others, and some cultures even found them “detestable” (Gen. 46:34 NIV). If God was trying to deliver a message of hope, joy, and expectation, then maybe shepherds were the perfect group to receive it first. It was a way to show that this message was for everyone; there was no discrimination, and all were welcome and invited. Everyone was important and special. But the catch is that the shepherds had first to understand and receive that message before they could go into the town and share it with others. So what does that have to do with a modern church tech artist? Maybe you and I are modern-day shepherds. In our role, we tend to be forgotten or overlooked. Perhaps we don’t blend in with others in various social circles, are misunderstood or neglected, or often feel isolated or alone. But this Christmas season, like the shepherds, we get to be the vessels who share the message of hope and joy with everyone! It doesn’t matter what one’s role in ministry (or society) is. Jesus came as a light for all of us, and we can equally receive and share it. Like the shepherds, though, I must first understand, receive, and internalize that message before I can share it with others. This Advent season, as we’re all working long hours behind the scenes or alone after dark when that discouragement or loneliness sets in, we can remember that, like the shepherds, we’re entrusted with the most incredible message ever given to the world. And even through our occasional dark times in life,

advent week 4 – expectation or expectations? Dec 22, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders.https://youtu.be/l5_UbY4zQeM Today we are looking at a passage from Matthew, chapter 1, verses 18-25. This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. As we approach Christmas Day, Advent becomes about experiencing a sense of expectation. Naturally, we are expecting Jesus to be born into a manager. The Son of God is coming to earth. When I first saw the word “expectation,” I put an “s” on the end and immediately went into production mode. Expectations. How often do I expect something to happen, and something completely different happens? I spend a lot of time expectantly waiting for my expectations to be dashed. As technical artists, we can plan and plan and plan, but there is a certain amount of uncertainty at play. And when our expectations aren’t met, how do we react? What is our first response? I can be pretty grumpy when I’ve worked hard on something, only to have things changed. In this part of the Christmas story, I wondered how I would have responded when Joseph had his expectations wholly turned upside down. Here is a guy getting ready to marry his sweetheart, only to find out she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. This is a multi-level expectation disappointment for Joseph. First off, Mary’s pregnant. Second, somehow he’s supposed to believe the Holy Spirit is involved. I imagine he had plans for his marriage with Mary, only to see them disappointed by what happened. Yet, after all the dashed expectations, he decides to believe God, marry Mary, and adopt Jesus. He traded in his expectations (for security, family life, and plans) for what he could expect from God, which was salvation through the son that God and Joseph shared, Jesus. How often am I caught up in what I expect from life? From my co-workers? From my plans? This time of year is the perfect time to redirect my expectations towards God’s plan, which he made available to you and me with the arrival of His son Jesus at Christmastime. Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

advent week 4 – never too far Dec 21, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders.https://youtu.be/HOqMzcd7DPsToday we are looking at a passage from Zephaiah, chapter 3, verses 14-17. Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” It is incredible that the whole of the Bible really does point to Jesus. That the history we read about in the Old Testament is really His Story. Before we get to the passage in chapter 3, let’s do a quick overview of what’s happening in Zephaniah before this. Zephaniah kicks us off with a lot of poetry in this book. And at first, you may have thought, “What in the wild world of sports is going on?” Here’s a brief breakdown: like usual, God’s people have gotten themselves into trouble (idolatry and some other stuff, yikes). It’s a dark time in Jerusalem. Zephaniah sees God’s justice coming and urges the people to turn towards God (we later refer to this group as the “Remnant”). It’s a juxtaposition of God’s justice and God’s love. With so much chaos in Jerusalem, God seeks to unite and purify the nations. Sound familiar? Because this portion of the story is fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham that He would unite the nations (Genesis 17). We see God’s justice making things right, but we also see God’s love seeking to unite His people and unite them back to Himself. Not only are the people who turned back to God called to sing & rejoice, but we see that God sings over them at the end of the passage. God seeks to be with his people! There was so much evil in the land during Zephaniah’s time, much like the darkness present when Jesus enters the scene. Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God is with you,” similar to the passage we read in Matthew 1:23, “And they will call him, Emmanuel. (Emmanuel means “God with us.”)” (CEB) The parallelism of the Bible is crazy. Even in the darkest times, we are reminded that God is with us. All of this reminds me of God’s rescue mission with Jesus. The world is in a tough place, and God seeks to rectify the situation. This ending section of the minor prophet’s book points us to a future hope, a reminder that even when we feel like we are too far gone, God is the God of hope. This Christmas season, maybe you’ve let God’s work through you create space away from the work God desires to do in you. Every schedule, rehearsal, meeting, and set build has the potential to push you further away from God. Perhaps you are in a dark season this Christmas, and hope feels like a far-off thing. But let us not lose heart, for even in the darkest of seasons, God reminds us He is with us. Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

advent week 4 – a promise and a hope Dec 20, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders.https://youtu.be/-MlG-YVBa5QToday we are looking at a passage from Revelation, chapter 21, verses 1-4. Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” The Christmas season is marketed as a time of joy and excitement, happy families gathering together around beautiful fireplaces, and nostalgic bliss as we laugh about old memories while creating new ones. While those moments happen, the Christmas season brings about more complex feelings for many of us. Pain and sadness creep up on those missing family members who used to be a massive part of our Christmas experience. For some, Christmas is a time of isolation and loneliness. Most of us in the church world don't get a chance to experience joy and excitement until Christmas Day because we have been so busy cultivating experiences for everyone else since Thanksgiving. That may seem like a bleak view of Christmas, but it's a reality for countless people worldwide - especially those in ministry. So, how do we overcome such a dark season? Revelation 21:1-4 brings us a promise of renewal and hope for restoration. In verse 5, the One sitting on the throne says, "Look, I am making everything new!" Everything. All new. We will have new bodies. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. We will have a new relationship with God. The pain, sorrow, and failure we often feel right now will be completely wiped away and never felt again! Ever. This new existence is something we have never known and cannot truly comprehend today. It is a restoration of God's intention for humankind to walk with Him and flourish. Satan would love nothing more than for those of us who are saved to forget this promise and this hope. He would prefer that we stay stuck in the mire of our circumstances. He would want us to plod through the Christmas season, bearing the weight of our responsibilities and pain. But we must remember who we are in Christ. “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.” Colossians 3:1-4 Christmas is the ultimate time to remember the promise of renewal and restoration as we tell the world how Christ came to us as a human that first Christmas night in Bethlehem. We cannot adequately tell that story unless we believe that the result of His coming is our future and eternal dwelling with God in a wholly renewed world. Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

Episode 090: Blaine Hogan Dec 19, 2022

Todd talks with Blaine Hogan about his new book "Exit the Cave". They cover a wide range of topics from neoscience, portfolios and the Hogan family rules. Show Notes: Blaine's New Book: Learn more and buy a copy of Blaine's new book "Exit the Cave" on Amazon. Hogan Family Rules: Sign up for Blaine's e-news and receive a download of the Hogan Family Rules! FILO 2023 Conference: Tickets are available for the upcoming FILO 2023 Conference in Chicago, IL. Learn more at FILO.ORG/FILO2023. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast

advent week 4 – future hope Dec 19, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders.https://youtu.be/86yO3XAXalM Today we are looking at a passage from Isaiah, chapter 52, verses 7-10. How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! The watchmen shout and sing with joy, for before their very eyes they see the Lord returning to Jerusalem. Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song, for the Lord has comforted his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has demonstrated his holy power before the eyes of all the nations. All the ends of the earth will see the victory of our God. One thing I love about the Old Testament is that we get to learn about the character of God. Time and time again, God promises He will take care of Israel, and he does, and then their moron-idiot brains get themselves into trouble, and as always, God rescues them. The context of this passage is this: Israel is in shambles. They have been exiled to Babylon for multiple generations, and there’s no end in sight. During this, we have God (through the prophet Isaiah) bringing them hope. Their immediate hope was a return to Jerusalem out of exile. However, the greater hope they discovered (as prophesied in chapter 53) is that hope is coming, and his name is Jesus. In the crazy Christmas season, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment right before us. For some of us, this is a challenging season. For others, it may not be so bad. Regardless, how can we go through this season in the most Christlike and God-honoring way possible? The answer is this: We give the people around us hope. More specifically, we provide them with the hope of Jesus through encouragement. We must trust God enough to rise above our situations, elevate our perspective, and love others. We are to point them to the future, remind ourselves of God’s promises, and reflect on what He has already done for us. Remember, Proverbs 11:25 (NLT) says: The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. My pastor once told me: “I don’t know anyone who quit because they were encouraged.” Such a simple thought–but think about that. Who in your life needs to be encouraged today? Well, probably you! But also, I’m willing to bet a few folks come to your mind right now. I’m also willing to bet that encouraging someone else will be an encouragement to you as well! How can you be an encouragement to someone today? Are you wondering who you can encourage? You can encourage your spouse, kids, family, leaders, direct reports, peers, or anyone! If you’re not a words person, buy a gift card to a coffee shop and just say, “I notice how hard you’re working. You’re doing a good job.” Here is an encouragement for you, friend: God has called you to this team, to this mission, for a time such as this. You are the right person for the job. God has given you the tools, hours of the day, and resources needed to complete the job. Some people need a touch from God. They depend on you and your skill sets to help them see the face of Jesus. You are blessed because God has made you a blessing. Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

advent week 4 – the diligent work of patience Dec 18, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders.https://youtu.be/hN_sRYY4BUsToday we are looking at a passage from Romans, chapter 8, verses 18-25. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. To birth something (a human, art, an idea, a sermon, a book) takes great effort. Often, though, before the birth or breakthrough, we hit a wall. We hit that “will it ever change, ever move, ever start?” wall, and then when we least expect it, there is a breakthrough. At age 15, I was determined to learn how to play guitar. Singing came naturally, as did making up songs to Jesus from scratch. Once I mastered that acoustic guitar, there was no stopping this next singer-songwriter for Jesus. But first, the guitar. Finger-picking came pretty naturally. I printed out all the tablatures to my favorite songs and devoted hours to learning the plucking rhythm and placements for each finger on the fretboard. Strumming was another matter. I could only strum in a 6/8 waltz-like time pattern. It took deep, labor-intensive work as I forced my hand into a clunky 4/4 time signature strum. I hit the wall one night after about a month of daily practice. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, (Romans 8:20) I went to bed, bummed out and down on myself. And then the breakthrough came. The next afternoon I went right back at it, working on my strumming, and something clicked. The practice had finally sunk into the memory of my muscles, and with ease, grace, and flow, I strummed that guitar in 4/4 like nobody’s business! We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:22-25) What are you waiting for? What have you been working so hard to see realized? What do you hope and pray for? Jesus, the Light of the world, is the One we celebrate not only in the Christmas season but every day. We waited in hope for Him. We needed salvation, reconciliation, and direction. We cried aloud, “how long, oh Lord?”. At other times we waited patiently with quiet, expectant prayers for His coming. We toiled and worked and waited, and then, Christmas. The Light of the world came down to us. The breakthrough. The incarnate One. We waited. We longed. We toiled. We prayed. We cried. We sang. He came and will come again in all of His glory. Hope is realized. Hope is here. In this time leading up to Christmas, may we, God’s creation, wait in eager expectation for the incarnate one. Light of the world, who makes all things possible. Amen. Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

advent week 3 – too many problems Dec 17, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders.https://youtu.be/_TJ8JI7PthkToday we are looking at a passage from John, chapter 9, verses 1-7. As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. Have you ever had a bad day? I’m a commuter, so this kind of day usually starts in morning traffic on I-90 in Chicago. On a bad day, it seems every other driver has a vendetta against me and my sanity. Then maybe you finally arrive at work and realize you forgot your lunch, so you’ll have to overpay for some bad delivery food that will probably arrive cold. As the day goes on, you realize your co-workers are in cahoots with the drivers on the interstate because they have nothing but bad news, frustrating last-minute requests, and any other number of things that feel like a waste of what little time you have. Because of the backup of new requests, you make a last-minute decision to stay late again so you can get the work done that you were supposed to do in the first place. Then finally, you sit in more traffic only to arrive home to a family that is frustrated that you once again missed dinner. It’s the Christmas season in the church production world, which leads me to believe that you have had more than one of these types of days recently. While the Christmas season is supposed to be defined by joy, for many of us, this season feels like it's characterized by problems. Not enough money. Not enough volunteers. Not enough time. Too many crazy ideas. Too many events. Too many to-dos. I know I’ve had Christmas seasons in church work where it feels like my job is just to put out fire after fire after fire. But sometimes, I wonder what we might miss by focusing only on the fires and the problems. Today, we’re looking at the story from John, chapter 9, in which Jesus and his disciples encounter a man born blind. And similar to you and me at Christmastime, Jesus’ disciples are preoccupied with diagnosing the problem. They’re asking questions about who’s at fault or who’s to blame. And Jesus’ response is so telling here because he couldn’t be less interested in playing the blame game. In fact, Jesus doesn’t see this man’s blindness as a problem. Or at least, it is not ONLY a problem. Jesus replies, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned…but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in his life.” While the disciples could only see and focus on the problem, Jesus saw an opportunity within the problem for God to showcase his power. Interestingly, the blind man wasn’t the only one in the story who couldn’t see. Because the disciples were so fixated on the man’s obstacle, they could not see the opportunity for the miraculous right in front of their eyes. And the same is true for us. We’re completely blind to God’s power when we only focus on the problem. And I wonder how that simple idea might change the way you approach this Christmas. When problems, issues, and the un-ideal pop up, what if you saw the problem as a call to prayer? When it doesn’t go your way, you open yourself up and say, “God, have your way.” If you’re willing to open your eyes to the possibility, I wonder how God might use the problems you’re facing as an opportunity to show his power and faithfulness to you and your team in a fresh way this Christmas.

advent week 3 – darkness, light, and joy! Dec 16, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders.https://youtu.be/bK0jJEf2Cw4Today we are looking at a passage from 1 John, chapter 1, verses 4-7. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. Technical artists are well-acquainted with light and darkness. We wake up early. Drive to work in the dark. Occasionally, we catch the first light of day as the sun rises. We work in a dark room and illuminate it with beautiful light to create an atmosphere of worship. We direct focus with light. If a singer stands in the dark, we move them into the light so that we can see them. We even hang lights on our houses to celebrate the season and proclaim joy to the world! Light always serves a purpose, but what does it mean for us, the FILO Community, to walk in the light? To understand that, we need to understand the darkness. What is darkness? Darkness is simply the absence of light. If God is light, then darkness is the absence of God. To walk in darkness is to live as if God does not exist. You might think, “Oh, that’s not me. I work for a church; I’m good.” Our presence in the church building does not equate to us walking in the light of God. If we’re not intentional, we can let the pressures of this season dim our light and allow sin to steer our behavior. Gear fails. Our pastor asks for a last-minute change. A particular element doesn’t work as planned. We’re unfriendly with volunteers because we’re too focused on the tasks. We miss meaningful moments with our families because we’ve been working overtime. Then we lose our tempers with our families when we finally see them. If we aren’t careful, we can live as if God hasn’t done life-changing work for us and in us. The first verse of our passage says, “And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” (1 John 1:4 ESV) John wrote this letter so that others would know Christ and have fellowship with the Father and his Son. He wrote so that others could share in his joy in Christ. As technical artists in the local church, we do what we do for that exact purpose. We run cables, build mixes, focus lights, and operate cameras to communicate the joy of the Gospel. Amid the busy Christmas season, I pray we walk purposefully in the light. Let us boldly invite others to share our joy and shine a light in the darkness with words of encouragement, grace, and love. Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

advent week 3 – a light in the darkness Dec 15, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders. Before participating in our Advent content, consider reading Isaiah 60:1-3 to prepare your heart for Todd's message.https://youtu.be/jyCPGRDVaXMArise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. In a dark world, Christ arrives to shine a light in the darkness. As technical artists in the local church, we know the effect lighting can have in a dark place. It directs our attention. It highlights something. It makes it more difficult to focus on the darkness. Thinking about Christ’s coming in terms of lighting, what does it mean that he was a light in the darkness? Did he show up with a bunch of Syncrolite XLs focused on the manger? Or are we just talking about the star that the wise men followed? See, darkness covers the earthand thick darkness is over the peoples,but the Lord rises upon youand his glory appears over you. As a fulfillment of the prophecy mentioned in the book of Isaiah, we fast forward to Paul in the New Testament, where he talks about what made Christ different from what the world knows. In Philippians 2:6-8 it says: Who, being in very nature God,did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;rather, he made himself nothingby taking the very nature of a servant,being made in human likeness.And being found in appearance as a man,he humbled himselfby becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Jesus’ version of light in the darkness comes from how He lived His life. He came to earth, lived and died, and rose again to show us how to live—the way to shine a light in the darkness. As we prepare to celebrate Christ’s coming to earth, may we be a light in the darkness to those around us. Our neighbors, our co-workers, and our team. May we shine a light to draw people’s attention, not to us, but to Christ. Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

advent week 3 – made himself nothing Dec 14, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders.https://youtu.be/yrI72acjbSIToday we are looking at a passage from Philippians, chapter 2, verses 1-11. Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Have you ever noticed how rude verse seven is? "Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." It’s like, “Woah, Paul! We’re in the room.” Everyone reading this letter is human. Paul (the writer of this book in the Bible) is just flat-out calling us nothing! That stings a bit. #paulburn While I’m 100% sure that’s proof-texting, it is my favorite part of these verses. Every Christmas, I remember how epic this story is and while I rarely think about these verses at Christmas, the phrase “human likeness” catches my attention. Essentially in these verses, we get a quick little synopsis of Jesus’ story from the first four books of the New Testament, often called the Gospels. Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledges that Jesus Christ is Lord, In verse 6, we learn Jesus is the very nature of God. We understand Jesus is OK with the arrangement and has no plans of attempting a coup. We realize Jesus humbled himself by becoming one of us, and we learn it was all God’s plan in order “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledges that Jesus Christ is Lord,” This entire cosmic plan starts with Jesus encasing himself in dirt and being born in a cave by a teenage girl. We should pause here. This alone is insane. Jesus intentionally steps into our world and into our mess to give us a way back to God. Jesus had the power to snap his fingers and plunge us into oblivion, but he didn’t. God lovingly separated the Trinity so Jesus could be on earth with us. Every year we hear, “don’t forget to put God first amid all the work and distraction, blah blah blah.” However, this year I simply want to invite you to remember to be amazed. The King of the Universe loves you. You’re worth far more than any accomplishment you could ever achieve. A king left a throne for you. You can have a relationship with God. And if that wasn’t enough, Jesus “humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross.”

advent week 3 – what time is it? Dec 13, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders.https://youtu.be/vd13B24mx2Y Today we are looking at a passage from Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, verses 1-8. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. When I first read through this scripture, I thought, “Time? I don’t have time for anything!”. And I bet you can relate. As a tech artist at your church, you have 100 different things vying for your time during the holidays. There are one hundred different urgent issues that only you can deal with. There are one hundred details related to volunteers, equipment, cue sheets, rehearsal times, set designs, snow machines, rental companies, stage setups, and so much more. I get it. I have been there. A swirling vortex forms around us at this time of year, and it can lead us to believe that we don’t have enough time, that no one understands, and that we are all alone. The vortex can make us believe that this whole holiday season will be complete garbage because it rests on our shoulders, and we just can’t wrap our minds around how to get it all done. But when we can slow ourselves down long enough to step outside the swirling vortex, we can better understand that none of that is true. We can see what God is calling us to and understand what He was speaking through King Solomon in our Advent scripture for today. Not one thing that you do today is considered random. God has appointed each and everything. It’s all been decided beforehand. Every decision and task completed has a purpose and is a part of God’s beautiful design. His sovereignty is revealed through each moment in our lives as we put our hearts, hands, and minds towards doing good work in this world. There is a time for all things, FILO Community. A time to start a new project and a time to call it quits on a project you’ve been toiling over for far too long. A time to develop volunteers and a time to transition a volunteer off the team serving from an unhealthy place. A time to scratch “the way we’ve always done it” and a time to start a new process from the ground up. A time to address any pain or anger and time to celebrate the wins. A time to lean in and pursue the funk with your team and a time to have fun and create memories together. A time to say “Yes!” to trying new ideas and see what sticks and a time to set boundaries and say, “Now’s not the best time. Can we wait a bit?”. A time to sort through the piles of stuff and a time to purge the things that don’t matter and a time to keep the things that do matter. A time to be slow to speak in a meeting and a time to speak up for ideas and yourself. A time to tackle big scary projects that are looming in the future and a time to simply focus on the day ahead and nothing more. A time to focus on fixing the gear and a time to focus on the people serving on your team. A time to invest extra hours in working at the church and a time to invest extra hours with your family and friends at home. A time to end one service and jump right into the next and a time to celebrate and observe any learnings. And most importantly there is always a time to be confident in who God says you are. The holiday season's hustle will shift if you’re willing to take a step outside that swirling vortex and pause long enough to evaluate what matters and what God is cal...

advent week 3 – whose story is this? Dec 12, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders. Before participating in our Advent content, consider reading John 1:19-34 to prepare your heart for Dr J's message.https://youtu.be/wp9ryzZWdNE John the Baptist is one of my favorite supporting characters in the gospels, partly because he knows that’s exactly what he is. He knows the story’s not about him, but he’s happy to play a supporting role, and I find that attitude conspicuous and compelling. In today’s full-court press of personal aspirations, public competition, and performance anxiety, I think Shakespeare would have rephrased his famous characterization of life to be, “All the world’s a stage, and we are the stars.” We’re all busily building our audiences, assembling our tribes, and marketing our brand and experiences to the masses. It’s hard not to feel like the story is our story. It’s hard not to feel like we’re the directors, producers, and stars in the extraordinary tale of our lives. But John reminds the Pharisees and the rest of us that this story is ultimately not our story. It’s God’s. Before creation, God penned the epic tale of redemption and real life that he’s been rolling out ever since. Ironically, these chapters of our lives that we find so riveting aren’t really about us; they’re about bigger things and part of a bigger narrative. We are supporting characters, and the details of who we are and what we’re about serve only to establish the main character, Jesus, and to move his father’s great plot forward. That realization is life-changing and life-giving because it reframes our lives as character arcs in the scheme of greater purposes and a grander story. It recasts our roles as simultaneously so much less and so much more. Lately, I’ve been watching Marvel movies with my parents. They’re in their eighties, and sometimes the jump-into-the-middle-of-the-action, non-linear style of the production requires me to pause the movie and recap things, so my folks don’t lose the plotline in the commotion. I think that’s a little of what John is doing here. He’s telling the Pharisees not to get hung up on him and what they’ve seen him do because the main character is about to be introduced, and they ain’t seen nothing yet. He tells them everything’s been leading up to Jesus, and everything will be about him in the end. I still hear the Pharisees’ questions in the daily din of social media and my other interactions. “Who are you? Give us an answer that’ll travel well.” I rise to their challenge too often. I cue the trailer that will hook them on the blockbuster movie of my life, or I let them know my story is epic, and I am too. But John doesn’t do either. He hears the pharisees’ questions as invitations to do his job as a supporting character and points unmistakably to Jesus. He says, “This isn’t my story. I’m not the guy, and I’m nothing compared to him.” What if that was our go-to message as well? What if we regularly looked past the complications in today’s plot line and recognized that God is weaving them into his greater story of redemption and real life? How would we behave differently if we regularly saw the action and dialogue of our own chapters as foils for making Jesus and his gospel more vivid and compelling to others? What if the cliff notes or summary statement for our stories, like John’s, was: “I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One” (v34)? Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

advent week 2 – walk towards the light Dec 10, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders.https://youtu.be/8Kan7iwwJ0oToday we are looking at a passage from John, chapter 12, verses 35-36. So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” Now, I have to admit that when I chose a verse, I gravitated to this one because my expertise in the realm of production is lighting. A lighting guy should talk about a verse that references light, right? I mean, all is right in the world when that happens. These are just a few sentences from Jesus’ last teaching to the public before he is crucified. Jesus’ words are a caution to the people, an important caution to believe in Jesus as the light. It hit me that he states the caution with meekness and humility, not being forceful or mean. Believing in Jesus and starting that relationship should be filled with surrender. It’s like a parent encouraging a child to complete their chores to earn money: “You should do it now, or the opportunity will pass.” The Christmas season is just a few weeks during the calendar year, but it's a crucial season for us as creatives and technical artists in the church. God uses our teams to present the Gospel. And while we have a guest’s very short window of attention to creatively show that Jesus is the light, some may be walking through the doors of the church for the first time. We must do all we can to create that holy environment for the Holy Spirit to work. When I first read this, I automatically thought about the darkness as being those who are not believers and far from Christ. But as I studied it, the meaning of darkness revealed that it could be me. Walking in darkness simply means that a person could walk endlessly, not aware of their surroundings and which way they are going. How easy is it to make mistakes in the darkness? During the busy season of Christmas, I encourage you not to walk in the darkness. Don’t lose your way and lose sight of how God is using you. In the frustrations that are going to come, because they will come, keep Jesus’ very meek caution in the back of your mind. Believe in the Light, all the way to your core. And in that belief, remember why you do what you do. God is using you and your talents during this incredibly hectic season to share the story of God creatively. Just don’t lose your way. Merry Christmas, everyone! Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

advent week 2 – prepare the way Dec 09, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders.https://youtu.be/0aOT8mAg_MoIn those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 3:1-2) I love the idea that our roles as technical artists can sometimes be thought of as preaching in the wilderness. The state of our world can sometimes feel like a wilderness. We are making a way in that wilderness for others to see and hear the good news of Christ. Tech teams can be the ones to sound the alarm when issues arise and point out areas we need to grow. This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ” (Matthew 3:3) One of the great gifts and calling we have as production leaders is being able to help prepare the way for the Lord. We elevate, illuminate, and amplify the name of Jesus! To “make straight the paths for him,” we give it our best to remove all distractions and bring Jesus as the primary focus. He is the one who saves us, restores us, and brings us into our full redemptive potential for the Kingdom of God! John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. (Matthew 3:4) This passage sounds like a production person on a Keto diet or living off of greenroom snacks. After a set build, we might have messy clothes, a beard like Moses, and most definitely a utility knife and that leather band. We strive to deliver on everything we do, sometimes at the cost of our nourishment and health. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. (Matthew 3:5-6) Sometimes you think you can only fulfill the background duties of ministry because you are behind the scenes. I'm here to tell you that everyone who serves in behind-the-scenes ministry has the invitation to partner with Jesus in helping those around us take new steps of faith. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20) Imagine if people talked about us this Christmas as if we were John the Baptist. “Wow, that tech person is more than just someone who wears black and pushes buttons. They are straight-up Kingdom advancers, great commission completers.” Don’t you want to be a team like that? We all have a step we can take to deepen our faith. In what ways are you modeling this to your team? Tell your team a step you are going to take and invite them to join you. Maybe it's praying for 5 minutes a day or committing to reading your bible daily. These small steps change the game in the life and culture of our teams. In this, we will see new joy, deeper faith, and a greater focus on why we do what we do. Treasure this in your heart during the long days, late nights, and weeks this Christmas. Jesus says SURELY- meaning it’s a promise- Surely He will be with you to the very end. His grace hasn’t run out on you. His promises of goodness and mercy continue. Let's press into all God has for us this season and seek to help make way for every heart to know Jesus more this Christmas. Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

advent week 2 – whom shall i fear? Dec 08, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders.https://youtu.be/dYhvVj1kzrgSwimming in the ocean can be a lot of fun, but occasionally a set of waves come in, and it can be a little scary. I feel like Christmas for the Tech Artist can feel like the ocean sometimes. You see the wave forming in the distance and maybe you worry a little. As you watch the wave build and grow larger, your anxiety level heightens. You ask yourself if you’re going to be able to catch this wave and surf it. Or maybe play it safe and duck-dive through it. Or will you be caught in it and tossed around, hoping to survive and surface on the other side? The holidays come at us like a big wave, growing larger and larger, and the stress and anxiety of everything that needs to get done builds and builds. Psalms 27 is a reminder that our Lord says not to fear. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. Remember that we have the most powerful entity in the universe behind us. To God, our Christmas services are just a blip on the radar. What has us so worried? With getting things done, deadlines, and creating the actual service, God looks down and says, “Trust me. Have no fear. We will get through this together. You have my mighty hand at your disposal. Just call upon Me to help.” Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

advent week 2 – night lights Dec 07, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders.https://youtu.be/bcBcUNosZhYIn my house, we have night lights all over! We have motion-activated lights in stairwells and bathrooms. We have nightlights that change color. My kids love picking colors. I’m a low light or cool blue guy, but my boys prefer the dance party setting. There’s nothing like getting up for a glass of water and seeing a rainbow underneath the door!Why all the lights? Finding your way at night is essential in a home occupied by young boys. Stepping on a rogue LEGO is a powerful experience. The ability to navigate a clear and trusted path is something everyone desires. I resonate with the psalmist, asking God to send light and truth to help guide him. After years of ministry, I still find myself in moments with more questions than answers. Figuring out how to pull off the new vision for the Christmas season can put many of us in that spot! On the one hand, these moments are an answer to prayer. New dreams and projects stretch us and bring us to unknown territory. But the unknown can feel uncertain and even discouraging at times.I’m thankful for seasons like Christmas, though. Busy as it can be for many of us, if done correctly, it can serve as a great reminder of why we do what we do!We have the privilege of knowing God sent the light that the psalmist requested! We get to read about God’s son, Jesus! How he lived and how he treated people. We know that as he left the earth, we gained the ultimate guide, the Holy Spirit!“Send out your light and your truth;let them guide me.Let them lead me to your holy mountain,to the place where you live.There I will go to the altar of God,to God—the source of all my joy.I will praise you with my harp,O God, my God!” - Psalm 43:3 - 4 NLTTo do the Christmas season effectively, we must tuck away and spend time with the Lord, “The source of my joy.” Outside of our work, don’t forget to step aside and spend time on your own with Him. Yes, use your “harp” or whatever skill you bring to the experience, and offer it back to God every time! But don’t let that be the only time! “Why am I discouraged?Why is my heart so sad?I will put my hope in God!I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” - Psalm 43:5In this season, put your hope in God. He’s the reason we got into all this! If you’re like me, I can drift and quickly get discouraged depending on the success or difficulties coming from the experience I help facilitate. When I prioritize stepping away, even just to fast and pray over a lunch hour, I find myself refreshed and reminded why we’re doing it all. Let those times be the source of your joy and use your skills to the best of your ability to share God’s story this season!Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

advent week 2 – preparation Dec 06, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders. Before participating in our Advent content, consider reading Romans 15:4-13 to prepare your heart for Todd's message.https://youtu.be/o8SUHk16BgM Preparation: That’s how we roll over here in the world of local church technical arts! This part of advent should be easy! To be successful as technical artists, we need to be really good at preparing for services if we want them to go well. Preparation is something that is learned over time. Being prepared is born out of failing time and again and learning from each failure. It requires the ability to sustain a prolonged effort, which is the definition of endurance. We are called to prepare ourselves for the coming Messiah in week two of Advent. Similar to our lives as production people, as regular people, preparedness requires endurance, the ability to do stuff, fail, get up and keep moving. In Romans 15:4-6, Paul talks about God’s promises through this type of endurance. For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we contemplate the coming of Jesus this Christmas, our preparation involves us attempting to follow Christ and trust Christ in each moment of each day. Our preparation requires us to fail and to get up and try again. God helps by providing encouragement and endurance to live the life He intended. Our preparation isn’t for our benefit but for us to glorify God by being of one mind and one voice with each other. Romans 15:13 says this: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

advent week 2 – what’s your mountain? Dec 05, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders.https://youtu.be/5ZBvAL1Lu-YToday, we are looking at a passage from Isaiah, chapter 2, verses 1-5.This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains;it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.Many peoples will come and say,“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob.He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.”The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples.They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.I don’t know about you, but do you ever find yourself in a place where you put technology over God? Sometimes, even if we have the sincerest of hearts, we can make technology an idol. I serve in a place with a lot of resources and a lot of gear. I have sometimes thought, ”Man, when these JDCs hit, everyone is going to get saved.” Or “This L’Acoustics PA has to be what Jesus uses in Heaven.” But the reality is that all the gear, all the sweet reverb, and all the crazy, incredible reverse camera shots will save no one. Only the Gospel of Jesus Christ can save. Verse 2 says: “The mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.” The Lord reigns over all. Our role in production is to use audio, video, and lighting to point people to Jesus. The Gospel of Jesus doesn’t need a clever chase or perfectly wet reverb. It stands on its own. As you enter this second week of Advent, ask the Lord, is production your mountain or is the Gospel?Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

advent week 2 – glory in the unexpected Dec 04, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders.https://youtu.be/GySIBDFHZV0Much of the work we do is unseen in the realm of technical artistry. And the work that is seen - the gatherings that we produce, design, or lead - only reflect a fraction of the actual work that goes into what we do. In those unseen moments, I fall into the trap of minimizing the work God has called me to. I may spend countless hours and late nights building a landing page, programming lights, and crafting artistic service elements, and all I can think is, “What’s the point?” “Will anyone even notice?” “Will this ever measure up to what >>insert church name<< is doing?” Questions like these plague my mind and I’m left wandering through the ever-familiar halls of self-doubt, comparison, and discouragement. It’s a place I’ve been to many times, and perhaps it’s a place that feels familiar to you as well. In these seasons, I’m reminded of and blessed by God’s track record of revealing His glory in the humble, the lowly, and the unexpected. Today’s reading is a beautiful example of this. Micah 5:2 reads, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me One who is to be ruler over Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” Whether young David with a sling, Rahab with her hospitality, or Joseph with a dream, the Bible is full of examples of God’s glory, favor, and plan revealed in the unlikeliest places. This passage brings yet another character into the fold, and that is the city of Bethlehem. The scripture even articulates its perceived insignificance, referring to it as “small among the clans of Judah.” For years God’s people expected the coming of the long-awaited Messiah, and I’m sure that many had already built up how they saw it playing out - a grand entrance, one befitting the promised Savior of the world. But as we often find, time and time again, God likes to work outside the realm of the expected. Not only did Jesus come into the world in the small, helpless, vulnerable form of a newborn baby, but He did so in perhaps the most unlikely place of all - in a feeding trough, in a barn, in the insignificant city of Bethlehem. As you press on, be encouraged by His faithfulness to bless you in the little things. He will use a technical artist’s small, overlooked, often-undervalued work to reveal His glory to the world and declare His good news to all the ends of the earth. Be humble, be faithful, and God will show up. He always does. Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

advent week 1 – an unstoppable force meets an immovable object Dec 03, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders. Before participating in our Advent content, consider reading Luke 1:26-38 to prepare your heart for Delwin's message.https://youtu.be/GxcSLlmjXNAThere’s a classic philosophical concept that comes up in movies like “The Dark Knight”, or in songs like “Something’s Gotta Give” and even the great American cultural phenomenon of 1987: WrestleMania 3. It’s called the Irresistible Force Paradox. “What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?” So what is the actual answer? Are there any real-life examples that put this paradox to the test? If there’s one thing that you and I, artists in our church, are confident will happen every year without fail, whether in-person or by some beautifully done online service, it’s Christmas. That’s an unchangeable date, an incredibly tall task, an immovable object if there ever was one. The coming of Christ was an immovable reality. The world at large needed a savior and the people of Israel had been promised a Messiah through the line of David. The stage was set, and the people were waiting. But how would the Messiah come? In Luke chapter 1, the Angel of the Lord comes and meets with a teenage virgin named Mary. The conversation unfolds in a way that appears as though Gabriel drew the short straw in a “crucial conversation“ contest. In our vernacular, it would’ve gone like so… “Hey, Mary! Don’t worry. God thinks you’re awesome, and He digs you. Mmkay? Now… You’re gonna have a kid… and he will be THE king. Like the one you’ve been waiting for. How are you feeling about that?” You could cut the tension in this text with a butter knife. Then Mary asks this simple question, a question that everyone who’d heard about the coming Messiah throughout the generations was asking: “How will this happen?” Now the angel’s reply at this moment marks the entrance of the second player in our paradox: the unstoppable Force. “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” The same Holy Spirit that was present at the beginning of time, hovering over the waters, would come over Mary and prove His power - the exact thing needed to bring about the coming of the Messiah. An unstoppable force meets an immovable object. The rigors of preparing for our immovable event will bring us long hours, short tempers, and tired souls. But the text beckons us to embrace this reminder: the only way we are effective is if the unstoppable force of the Holy Spirit breathes upon our work and the Most High overshadows us. May the Holy Spirit of God bless you, keep you, and make His face shine upon you. May He be gracious to you as He turns His gaze toward you and gives you His peace. Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

advent week 1 – God always comes through Dec 02, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders. https://youtu.be/F0UhzI40F7sToday, we are looking at a passage from Jeremiah, chapter 33, verses 14-16. The day will come, says the LORD, when I will do for Israel and Judah all the good things I have promised them.“In those days and at that time I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. In that day Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety.And this will be its name:‘The LORD Is Our Righteousness.’”Amid Israel being overrun by their enemies, Jeremiah is reminding the children of Israel of the hope for their future. He’s reminding them of who God is, that God has forgiven them and not abandoned them and that God will keep his promises even though Israel has betrayed him. I’m sure it didn’t feel like that, but, as we now know, God kept his promise.It is in this passage that we are reminded again of God’s character. He is a keeper of promises. What situation are you going through where you need to remind yourself of this truth? What are you struggling with that you need to surrender to God? During this season, we can have a lot on our minds: family dynamics, work insanity, and even our struggles. If you weren’t thinking about them before reading this, I’m sure you’re thinking about them now. But wait, it gets better! I encourage you to take a moment, pray, and align yourself with God’s promises. I invite you to practice relying on God for some “daily manna” as the Israelites did when God led them out of Egypt. Pray and trust God for today, not tomorrow, not next week, but here, now. And tomorrow, do the same and trust him for just tomorrow. Perhaps he is allowing you to go through this season, not because there’s something you need to learn; but because there’s something you need to unlearn. Maybe the thing that you need to unlearn is trusting and relying on anything but God for your peace of mind, hope for the future, and security from evil. I know it's easy to say, “trust God’s promises,” but I am not so great at just manifesting more trust and making everything better. So the advice that was given to me that I’ll pass along to you is this: Look at your day and acknowledge the “thing” that requires you to exercise the most discipline. Maybe it’s dealing with THAT PERSON at work, or perhaps it’s getting your kids to school on time, or maybe it’s working through a specific insecurity you have. Hold that idea in your mind and then invite God into that process. It may be a simple prayer like what Peter said to Jesus when he was drowning, “Lord, help me.” It may be a moment to pause and breathe where you ask the Lord for strength to have that “crucial conversation.” The key is when you find yourself at your edge, invite God to be with you right there, and let His peace that surpasses all understanding guide your heart, mind, and actions. I pray that you find some peace in this chaotic season, my friend. And as you find that peace, be someone who passes it along to others.Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season.

advent week 1 – the true light is coming Dec 01, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders.https://youtu.be/1T-t7KJTl7AToday, we are looking at a passage from John, chapter 1, verses 6-9.There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.Christmas is my favorite time of the year. We are one of those families who don’t mind listening to Christmas music all year long and puts the tree up before Thanksgiving. Once the “ber” months hit—September, October, November, December—it’s the Christmas season. Being in ministry, Christmas becomes the topic of conversation as soon as summer is over. But more than being the next big thing on the calendar that requires a lot of planning and programming, I believe it is the most important event to hope for, dream about, dwell on, and linger in. I mean, come on—let these words sink in. THE TRUE LIGHT THAT GIVES LIGHT TO EVERYONE WAS COMING INTO THE WORLD.I can’t think of a statement that brings more hope than this. The light was coming into the darkness. It would be true light, not just a representation of light. It would reveal and bring warmth and guidance. The light would be generous and withhold nothing. The light was for everyone: no favorites, exclusions, or limitations. The light was going to be near. It would be in our world, where we are. I need that kind of light every single day. I need that kind of savior every single day. We all do. That’s what Christmas is all about—perfect light piercing the maddening darkness. When I read this entire passage of scripture, I can’t help but think about how I can be more like John the Baptist this Christmas season. He was an ordinary man, sent by God to give personal testimony so that people would believe. His message wasn’t about him, and he ensured people knew it. He made sure people knew THE TRUE LIGHT WAS COMING. There’s nothing more overwhelming than darkness. The darkness of sin, grief, and anxiety. The darkness of loss, desperation, and loneliness. We are wading through so much darkness now, and we need a lifeline more than ever. Our world needs THE light of the world more than anything. This Christmas, let us be like John in our passion and enthusiasm to tell others about Jesus. And let us be like Jesus and bring light and love to every dark corner of our world.Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

advent week 1 – the light of Christ Nov 30, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders. https://youtu.be/TWwaIejeH-Q Today, we are looking at a passage from John, chapter 1, verses 1-5. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. At first glance, this passage sounds familiar, doesn’t it? What does it remind you of? That’s right, the creation story from Genesis 1 - except this time, God is beginning a new creation. In Genesis, we saw God creating out of nothing. In an empty world, God spoke light into darkness, and God breathed life into Adam. This time, instead of a world with nothing, we see a new world with Jesus at the center. Jesus is the light of the world. He is the word. He is the life. There are times in my life when I feel burnt out, depressed, disoriented, or even lost. Maybe you can relate. I love this passage because it reminds me Jesus is with me, Jesus is making all things new, and He has the power to break through any darkness in my life. This is the hope of advent, a season where we live in the tension of darkness and light. We live in a broken world with broken bodies, hardship, and strife. We also live with the hope that Jesus is with us. He's breaking through the darkness and will make all things new again! This advent season, where do you need Jesus' light to shine in your life? For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV) Friends, the light of the world—the light who created all things and is holding all things together—is also shining in your heart, with you every moment. As you serve and walk with Christ this advent season, remember in every moment—in the preparation, successes, setbacks, and anticipation—Christ is with you, shining in your heart. Don’t miss Him. Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

advent week 1 – doing christmas vs living christmas Nov 29, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders. Before participating in our Advent content, consider reading Mark 13:33-37 to prepare your heart for Dennis' message.https://youtu.be/IW4O1yRSGdY Every year as production people, it seems like we tense up, and some anxiety creeps in. Christmas is coming, and we’re thinking, “how will we ever get through this?” Then we get past the planning mode and we get into the building, designing, and logistics of everything. Our brains get overloaded with stress, frustration, and a need for clarity to get it done in time. Mark 13 talks about being ready, on watch. We could easily cruise through Christmas again this year while going through the motions. As usual, the craziness will make it fly by. If we’re not careful, we’ll miss what Christmas is really about. Instead of just doing Christmas for church this year, let’s focus on LIVING Christmas this year. Let’s stay focused on doing our best for God amid it all. Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

Episode 089: Christina Pendleton Nov 28, 2022

Christina Pendleton joins Todd on the FILO Podcast to talk about leading volunteers, adapting a follower style based on the leader and setting the example for our production volunteers.Show Notes:FILO Advent: Our new Advent devotional series launched yesterday! Each day features a new short devotional, which you can access on YouVersion, our YouTube Channel or our Blog. Book Recommendations: "Procrastinate on Purpose" by Rory Vaden and "Impact Players" by Liz WisemanI Love Jesus But I Hate Christmas: This technical manual, written by Todd Elliott, is the perfect gift for your team members during the holidays! Learn more and purchase copies on our website.Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

advent week 1 – present in the waiting Nov 28, 2022

Our Advent content is available on YouVersion as a Plan! Check it out, read along with your team, and receive daily reminders. Before participating in our Advent content, consider reading 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 to prepare your heart for Aubrey's message.https://youtu.be/dLEflX2pHig Almost every day, when my kids come home from school, the first words out of their mouths are, “Can I watch something?” They usually get the response, “Let’s go inside, look at take-home folders, and get settled.” I have even tried to preempt the question on the car ride home with, “Ok, so when we get home, please don’t just ask for screen time right away.” Then I watch them wait - each of them waits differently. One checks the tasks I mentioned above off the list: homework - check, empty lunch box - check, tell mom a little about my day - check. Another throws the contents of her backpack out on the table (or floor) and then walks over to me with the tv remote in hand. I often find my youngest writhing on the floor until there is some relief to the soul-crushing anticipation she is under. How about you? How do you wait when you are looking forward to something? Do you feel you know the other things that need to be accomplished? Do you just want to rush and dump it all out, circumventing some processes? Or do you find yourself tempted just to lie down and give up? Let’s face it - sometimes waiting is hard! What encourages me about how the writer addresses waiting in the 1 Corinthians passage is how they talk about how well-equipped we are in the waiting period. We are “enriched in every way.” We do “not lack anything” as we wait. As you approach Christmas and enter this advent season, where is God reminding you that you are “enriched in every way”? When you don’t want to wait for a project, meeting, or colleague to get their act together, how is the Spirit of the Living God reminding you that you “do not lack anything”? Those questions may be hard to answer right now. I invite you to pause and ask God to reveal himself to you in those ways. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind the gifts God has equipped you with in order to meet the challenges of waiting in this season. Need some community and prayer during this time? Reach out to us and let us know how we can pray for you, your family, your team, and your church this holiday season!

why does christmas feel like i’m in an mma fight? Nov 14, 2022

Now we’re in it! The big idea has stuck and now we’re rolling down the tracks to get this idea off the ground. At this point in the journey, there is still a bunch of stuff to figure out, but one thing is for sure, we’re doing something! In my experience, this is where the idea people and the execution people tend to stop talking. We go into our separate corners and try to figure out how to get this thing done. And while there is a ton of individual work that needs to get done, the idea can’t afford for us to stop talking to each other. For the technical person, there are tons of unknowns, especially when you’re doing something you’ve not done before. For the creative, it can be easy to feel left out of the decisions that are getting made about your idea. Instead of heading to our opposing corners and staying there, we need to keep coming back to the middle of the ring and work stuff out. To take this image of a boxing ring even further, many times when we go to our corner, we’ve got somebody there who understands us and is cheering us on. It is a safe place. And once I leave my corner, it is easy to not feel safe anymore. To feel like I might get punched in the face when I get out to the middle of the ring. Why is it that idea people and executor people feel like we are in a boxing match so often? Why can it sometimes feel like combat? I believe we are created differently, to fill different roles. And because of those differences, it can feel like we are coming at each other. In reality, we need these differences to make ideas happen. We need to come at ideas with everything we have, from our very different perspectives. In order to make something amazing together, we need to understand that we aren’t trying to go for a knockout, we are just trying to figure out how to make the idea even better. I shied away from these confrontations early in my life, because I thought that was exactly what they were: confrontations that were unpleasant and with me always seeming to get beat up in the process. And if you’re the one with the idea, you don’t need any more help pointing out the flaws in your idea. You know they are there. This whole meeting in the middle is like self-torture. Why would anyone want that? I might sound like a broken record, but this part of the process is where we really need to trust each other. Trust that you're just not throwing punches for fun. Trust that we’re trying to make this idea as amazing as it can be. Trust that when we go back to our corners that we are honoring each other. Trust that we are all working as hard as we can to accomplish the overall goal. This is how to make the best ideas possible, by continuing to come together and hammer out the best solutions for making the idea more than any of us could have imagined. Like most of the other steps in the creative process, this one is not linear. We will need to keep circling back on decisions we’ve already made and refining the execution process as we go along. We will need to let go of good ideas so that great ones can come to the surface. Continually refining as we go. This is how it is supposed to be. Another aspect of this part of the process is the need to let go. If you’re involved in the creative process, chances are you are passionate about the part you play. You are super attached to your idea or you’re in love with your method for pulling off this idea. This is how it works. This is what helps to create amazing ideas. It is also what can create bad ideas. If we aren’t willing to release our part to make the whole thing better, ideas will be half-baked and not all they could be. It is important to care deeply about your part of the process. We need that from each other. We also need to be ready to sacrifice our favorite thing for what is best for the whole. We all have to let go if we hope to make something truly amazing. Interested in joining a community of other technical artists trying to create healthy environments where we c...

Episode 088: Rusty Anderson Nov 07, 2022

Todd sits down with FILO Podcast Alumni, Rusty Anderson. They talk about video production in the local church and how Rusty approaches directing whatever the event.Show Notes:Connect with Rusty: Reach out with any questions or to chat about the coaching he offers on his Instagram: @RustyAnderson_FILO Advent: To make sure that you have every opportunity to fill yourself up with God’s word and to help you maintain a perspective that will get you to the finish line intact during this holiday season, we are launching an Advent devotional! Each day will feature a new devotional, both written and on video for every day of Advent, which is 28 days starting on November 27 and going through December 24. You can also set up a group to go through Advent together which could be a great activity to do with your whole team. Subscribe to our eNews, YouTube Channel and Instagram to get all of the information before Advent begins in a few weeks.Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 087: Toby Walters, Church Gear Oct 17, 2022

Todd sits down with Toby Walters of Church Gear and they talk about gear in church. Show Notes:FILO Cohorts: FILO recently launched our last Cohort of 2022. Sign up on the Cohort Waitlist and be the first to know when we launch new ones at the turn of the year.FILO 2023: We are looking forward to our next Conference on May 2 & 3, 2023 at Willow Creek in South Barrington, IL. Learn more and sign up today at filo.org/filo2023.FILO Advent: FILO is releasing a new full Advent devotional this year! Follow us on social and subscribe to our emails for more details coming soon!Connect with Church Gear: Learn more: ChurchGear.ComEarly access to equipment: ChurchGear.Com/EarlyServiceQuestions: sales@churchgear.comCheck out their podcast: The ChurchGear PodcastSocials: church_gearVisit them at FILO 2023!Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 086: Christina Reid Sep 26, 2022

Todd is joined by Christina Reid, worship leader at Forest City Church. They talk about the differences between worship leaders and tech people and what we can do to work toegether better.Show Notes:FILO Book: “I Love Jesus But I Hate Christmas” by Todd Elliott is a great resource for you and your teams to walk through before you enter this upcoming holiday season! The book comes in many different formats and is discounted if you buy 10 or more! Check out the details filo.org/book.Meet amazing people at FILO 2023: Learn more about this upcoming event on our website.Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

the secret to creative problem solving Sep 12, 2022

There is a point in every creative process when an idea stops being just an idea and it needs to turn into an actual thing. This is where most ideas stall. It is one thing to have an idea. It is another thing entirely to actually turn the idea into something. Starting the process of executing an idea is a huge step, requiring lots of hard decisions and fumbling around for solutions. It is also the time to start involving other people in the process. People with opinions. People with time constraints. People who may not fully understand the vision. It is also a time for the technical among us to finally get our hands on this idea and start making it happen. These factors all lead to potential issues. And this is where trust in each other starts coming into play. Whatever the state of trust looks like, it will play a huge factor in this part of the process. To trust that we are for each other. To trust that each side is looking out for the best in the other side. To trust that we’re talking about ideas and not each other’s character. Last December, someone asked me about how to make sure their Christmas production went well from a process standpoint. My first reaction was that it was too late. My second thought was that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago or today. It is never too late to work on trust, but trust is something that needs to be worked into the routine everyday, not just when you’re building up to a big idea. We need to be practicing every day, in small ways, trust in each other. Not only do we need to look for ways to trust the other person, we need to also work on how to be trustworthy ourselves. How can we create an environment where we believe the best in each other? Working on this now will create the best conditions for creating ideas together in the future. Interested in joining a community of other technical artists trying to create healthy environments where we can believe the best in each other? Check out our new FILO Coaching Cohorts launching soon! Join the wait list for the first opportunity to sign up.

Episode 085: Ryan Loche Sep 05, 2022

Ryan Loche from The Church Collective and the acedemic director of The Belonging Co. College joins Todd on the FILO podcast. Ryan has a really unique perspective as someone who has done everything: Worship Leading, Audio, Lighting, Communications...all of it. And they talk about all of it!Show Notes:Christmas Spotify Playlist: Need a playlist for your Christmas planning meetings? We've got you covered! We curated over 2 hours of upbeat, feel-good, get ya in that holiday mood Christmas music. Listen on Spotify.FILO Book: “I Love Jesus But I Hate Christmas” by Todd Elliott is a great resource for you and your teams to walk through before you enter this upcoming holiday season! FILO Coaching Cohort: We are launching our next Cohort real soon! Join the waitlist so that you’re the first to hear about them. Head to filo.org/coaching.Ryan Loche's Breakout at FILO 2022 Chicago: Using Your Creativity and Technology to Pastor PeopleGet in Touch with Ryan Loche: TheChurchCollective.Com, Church Collective on TikTok, Church Collective on Instagram, TheBelonging.CoSubscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 084: Jeremy Bagwell, Ross Aug 15, 2022

Todd sits down with Jeremy Bagwell from the Worship Production division at Ross Video. They talk a lot about vacations, hobbies and community, as well as what Ross Video has to offer those of us doing production work in the local church.We are grateful for Ross’ support of this podcast episode. Visit rossvideo.com to start a conversation today!Show Notes:Contact Jeremy: Personal Instagram: @JeremyBags. Ross Instagram: @RossWorship.Meet Ross at FILO 2023: Learn more about this upcoming event on our website.Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 083: Jesse O’Brien Jul 25, 2022

Jesse O'Brien talks with Todd about broadcast audio, creating a consistent sound across all campuses and all the other cushy parts of being an audio person in the local church today. Show Notes:Willow Creek Message by Albert Tate: Todd references a recent message titled "How We Love Matters". Check it out on Willow Creek's YouTube Channel.Jesse O'Brien's Breakout Talk: At FILO 2022 Chicago, Jesse taught a Breakout titled "Bingeing on Broadcast". Check it out!Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

you’re busy. schedule more stuff. Jul 12, 2022

At the FILO Conference back in May, we did an exercise to remind ourselves how important it is to take care of ourselves. As part of that exercise, we had each person make a calendar invite to themselves, in order to carve out time just for themselves. After about 6 weeks went by, we were talking about it here at the FILO offices and wondering if it would be helpful to follow up with the FILO attendees to see how they were doing at prioritizing their own personal development and care. The problem was that I personally haven’t been prioritizing my own personal development and care since we were last together. It felt a little hypocritical to talk about how important self leadership is if I’m doing a horrible job of it myself. Since FILO, I really haven’t exercised. Something that I used to do 4 to 5 days a week. My time in God’s word has been minimal. I’m eating horribly. I’m burning life at both ends of the candle. I keep joking with people that as someone who is basically in charge and can decide how to spend my time, you’d think I would have more control over my schedule. Instead I’ve chosen to let the demands of my schedule run my life, instead of being intentional with the time that I have been given. All this to say, it is difficult to take care of and prioritize myself. And I imagine the same goes for you also. So what do we do about it? I have a couple of potentially counter intuitive thoughts. SCHEDULE MORE STUFF I know it doesn’t sound like this will be a solution to get control over my life, but it is important for me to fill up my time with things that matter, before my calendar gets filled with other tasks. The problem with my current schedule is that it is full of really meaningful things to do. It isn’t like my calendar is loaded with things that I shouldn’t be doing, most things are worth the time I’m spending on them. The challenge is to get to your own calendar before someone else does. This requires some actual planning, and if you get there first, other things will have to schedule around the times that are important to you. Some of what you schedule could be work related. Some of it might be family related. Some of it is self related. An example in my own life is that I’m learning to fly an airplane. Now when I say that, I mean I’m learning to fly an airplane on Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. I wanted to try it out to see if I would like it enough to try it for real. Instead of actually learning to fly, I spend a lot of time walking by my simulator set up wishing I had more time to devote to learning to fly. I need to make time for it or else the rest of my life will squeeze that out. I need to schedule it. Is there a hobby that you need to make time for? Learning the clarinet maybe? For work, I need to be writing more often, and it always seems to slip to the bottom of the list. On one hand, writing isn’t easy, so it is easy for me to put it off. On the other hand, I need to make time for it or else it won’t happen. What projects do you have that just keep getting pushed off? FIGURE OUT WHAT MATTERS TO YOU OK, this is definitely something that needs to be done before you just start adding things to your schedule willy-nilly. What is important to you? What will enrich your life personally? What are some ways you can invest in your family? What are some growth areas for you at work? How do you want to be more intentional about your spiritual life? To take control over our schedules, we need to have a good understanding of what is important and what isn’t. Not to others. To you. What is important to you. When I don’t have a grasp on what is important to me, I usually work really hard and then plop myself down in front of the TV at the end of a long day. I don’t even think about it. I just plop. There’s nothing wrong with this, but in my life currently, it is because I have been living much of my life without intentionality. I have a general idea of what matters to me,

Episode 082: Cassandra Langton Jul 04, 2022

Todd has a conversation with Cassandra Langton, the Global Worship and Creative Pastor at Hillsong. They talk about how to create culture in a multi-site church model and well has how to keep your faith personal and not just a requirement for your job. Show Notes:Cassandra Langton's Main Session Talk: In 2021, Cassandra taught a Main Session. Check it out!FILO 2022 Chicago Digital Resources: The main sessions, breakouts and stream sessions are now available in our Digital Resource Center. Check it all out at filo.org/filo-resources.Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 081: Joshua Hoegh Jun 13, 2022

Joshua Hoegh joins Todd on the FILO Podcast to talk about staying connected to who we were created to be, not just going through the motions or mindlessly copying what other people are doing.Show Notes:FILO Coaching Cohorts: Todd is leading a new Coaching Cohort that launches next week! Spots are still open. Register and learn more at filo.org/coaching. Joshua Hoegh's Breakout: In 2020, Joshua taught a breakout: "Scenic Design on a Dime". FILO 2022 Chicago Digital Resources: The main sessions, breakouts and stream sessions are now available in our Digital Resource Center. Check it all out at filo.org/filo-resources.Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 080: Alex Sawyer May 23, 2022

Todd sits down with Alex Sawyer, TD at Third Church in Richmond, VA and FILO Cohort Leader to talk about what church production looks like in a smaller, more traditional setting.Show Notes:FILO Coaching Cohorts: Registration for our next round of Cohorts is live! Check out all of the options at filo.org/coaching. Today's podcast guest is a Cohort leader. A few spots are still available to join his Cohort.FILO 2023 Chicago: Registration is open for next year's conference. Rates are super low through May 31, 2022 with our In Conference Pricing. Learn more at filo.org/filo2023chicago.Contact Alex: Third Church - thirdrva.orgSubscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 079: Aubrey Wentz May 02, 2022

FILO Cohost Aubrey Wentz joins Todd on the podcast to talk about working through change. Big change. Little change. All the change. Show Notes:FILO 2022 Chicago Conference: The Conference is NEXT WEEK! Today's guest, Aubrey Wentz, is a Stream Session speaker and host of the Conference. Get 10% off your ticket purchases by using Promo Code "PODCAST10" during checkout. Head to filo.org/filo2022chicago for more details.FILO Coaching Cohort: We are launching our next round of Cohorts this week! Join the waitlist so that you’re the first to hear about them. Head to filo.org/coaching.Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 078: Andreas Pantli Apr 11, 2022

Todd is joined by Andreas Pantli, the founding pastor of ICF Hamburg in Germany and main session speaker at this year's FILO Conference. From his experience as the arts and production pastor at ICF Church in Zürich, Switzerland, one of the most influential churches in Europe, he and Todd talk about production and creativity from a high level view. Show Notes: FILO 2022 Chicago Conference: We are just a month away! Today's guest, Andreas Pantli, is a Main Session speaker. Get 10% off your ticket purchases by using Promo Code "PODCAST10" during checkout. Head to filo.org/filo2022chicago for more details. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 077: Clay Scroggins Mar 21, 2022

Clay Scroggins joins Todd and they talk about leaving their jobs with no plan for the future. They ask the question of when to stay or when to leave a place, when God is really calling us to larger questions. Show Notes: FILO 2022 Chicago Conference: We are just a couple months away! Today's guest, Ashlee Eiland, is a Main Session speaker. Get 10% off your ticket purchases by using Promo Code "PODCAST10" during checkout. Head to filo.org/filo2022chicago for more details. New Website: We recently launched our brand new website! We would love for you to check it out at FILO.ORG. And while you're there be sure to "join the community"! FILO Coaching Cohort: Todd is launching his next Coaching Cohort on March 8th. Join a small group of technical artists from around the world for learning and community as you walk through this next season leading up to Easter. To learn more and register, head to filo.org/coaching. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 076: Ashlee Eiland Feb 28, 2022

Todd sits down with Ashlee Eiland one of the main session speakers for the FILO Conference this year. They talk about her journey from service producer to co-lead Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids, MI. Show Notes: FILO 2022 Chicago Conference: We are just a couple months away! Today's guest, Ashlee Eiland, is a Main Session speaker. Get 10% off your ticket purchases by using Promo Code "PODCAST10" during checkout. Head to filo.org/filo2022chicago for more details. New Website: We recently launched our brand new website! We would love for you to check it out at FILO.ORG. And while you're there be sure to "join the community"! FILO Coaching Cohort: Todd is launching his next Coaching Cohort on March 8th. Join a small group of technical artists from around the world for learning and community as you walk through this next season leading up to Easter. To learn more and register, head to filo.org/coaching. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 075: Wes Harris Feb 07, 2022

Todd talks with Wes Harris, TD of Radiant Bible Church outside of Indianapolis. They chat it up about the importance of being in community with other church technical artists, whether that is through the FILO Conference experience, FILO Cohorts or the network of Chruch TD's in the Indianapolis area. Show Notes: FILO Coaching Cohorts: 2 new Cohorts are launching soon! To learn more and register, head to filo.org/coaching. FILO 2022 Chicago Conference: Tickets are the cheapest they’ll ever be right now, because today (2/7/22) is the last day of the Super Early Bird discount tier! And even better than that: you can get 10% off your ticket purchases by using Promo Code "PODCAST10" during checkout. Head to filo.org/filo2022chicago for more details. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 074: Becky Ykema Jan 17, 2022

Todd has a conversation with Worship Leader and Coach, Becky Ykema. They talk about their time together working at Willow Creek and how technical artists and their counterparts can work more effectively together. Show Notes: FILO Coaching Cohorts: We recently launched a new Cohort and have 2 new Cohorts launching soon! To learn more and register, head at filo.org/coaching. Becky Ykema's Podcast: Becky is the creator and host of a new podcast: Confessions of a Former Megachurch Singer. Learn more and take a listen here: beckyykema.com/darling FILO 2022 Chicago Conference: Tickets are the cheapest they’ll ever be right now! And even better than that: you can get 10% off your ticket purchases by using Promo Code "PODCAST10" during checkout. We recently published the Conference schedule and local area discounted hotels on the website. Head to filo.org/filo2022chicago for more details. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 073: Jeremy Van Valkenburg Dec 27, 2021

Todd talks with Jeremy Van Valkenberg, the Production Director at Transformation Church in Tulsa, OK. They talk about all the cool production stuff they are doing at Transformation, only to realize that it is more about Jesus than what new gear they need to get it done. Show Notes: FILO Advent Devotionals: It’s not ever too late to engage with the FILO Advent series. Devotionals can be read or watched at: filo.org/blog. FILO Coaching Cohorts: We are launching 3 new Cohorts this week! Stick close to your email and social to hear the announcement. For updates and to learn more, head at filo.org/coaching. FILO 2022 Chicago Conference: Tickets are the cheapest they’ll ever be right now! The Conference schedule and local area discounted hotels are live on the website as well. Head to filo.org/filo2022chicago for more details. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We’d appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 072: Alan Riggs Dec 06, 2021

Todd had the chance to fill in as TD for friend Alan Riggs and was inspired by the ownership of the people on Alan’s team. So they sat down to talk about what secrets Alan could share about how to build a team full of owners. Show Notes: FILO Book: “I Love Jesus But I Hate Christmas” by Todd Elliott is a great resource to gift yourself or your volunteers this holiday season! FILO Advent Devotionals: It’s not ever too late to engage with the FILO Advent series. Devotionals can be read or watched at: filo.org/blog. FILO 2022 Chicago Conference: Tickets are the cheapest they’ll ever be right now! Head to filo.org/filo2022chicago for more details. FILO Merch: Tshirts and hoodies and hats and other swag are available at filo.org/merch. Check it out today! 14 Days of FILO Giveaways: We are in the middle of an epic 2 weeks of giveaways over on our Instagram page. We’d love to give you free stuff! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We’d appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 071: Pete Richardson Nov 15, 2021

Todd sits down with FILO Faculty Alumni Pete Richardson of the Paterson Center. They talk about bringing clarity, strategy and a plan to the situations we face, not only in our work as technical artists, but also as people created by God to bring a unique contribution to the world. Show Notes: Christmas gift idea: “I Love Jesus But I Hate Christmas” written by Todd Elliott is a great gift idea for members of your team! Learn more and purchase your copies today at FILO.ORG/book. Chapter 22 is specifically helpful during this holiday season: “Production is Tough. Let’s Enjoy It.” Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We’d appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 070: Ryan Pribyl Oct 25, 2021

The FILO Podcast’s editor joins Todd on the other side of the mic for this episode. They talk about the practicalities of audio post-production for video. How much time to spend, where to start, tools to use, all the good stuff. Show Notes: FILO 2022 Chicago Conference: Tickets are the cheapest they’ll ever be right now! Head to filo.org/filo2022chicago for more details. Audio tools mentioned in this podcast: Izotope RX Sanken COS-11D Nuendo Schoeps CMIT5 DPA 4017 Neumann KMR 81 Sennheiser MKH 416 Cedar Noise Reduction Ryan Pribyl’s work: Level Audio Willow Creek – Mittens on Mission William’s Story Celebrating Hidden Heroes Bettor Days Chasing Whiskey Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We’d appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 069: Jeremy Bagwell, Ross Oct 04, 2021

Todd talks with Jeremy Bagwell from Ross Video about his journey through production in the local church. They touch on burnout…or perceived burnout, career advancement and living in a camper while your house gets worked on. We are grateful for Ross’ support of this podcast episode. Visit rossvideo.com to start a conversation today! Show Notes: Going to the Amplio Worship Classic? Find Todd out on the golf course! Learn more at amplio.golf. FILO Blog: The Blog is a way to process new ideas of how we can best contribute in the area of church production to our local churches. Check it out! FILO.ORG/BLOG. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We’d appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 068: Sara Emmerson Sep 13, 2021

Todd welcomes Sara back to talk about the importance of personal core values and how they impact your purpose. Show Notes: FILO Book: “I Love Jesus But I Hate Christmas” by Todd Elliott FILO Coaching: One-On-One Coaching, Service Evaluation, Team Development and Cohorts. Learn more and explore the opportunities at FILO.ORG/COACHING. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We’d appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 067: Jake Cody Aug 23, 2021

Todd finally has Jacob Cody on the podcast! What took so long?! From Jacob’s role at Bayside Church in Northern, CA, they talk about creating boundaries, building trust and eating good food with your team after a long day. Show Notes: Book: “Winning” by Jack Welsh Book: “Man’s Search For Meaning” by Victor Frankl Connect with Jake Cody: Instagram FILO Coaching Cohort: A new Women’s Cohort begins on September 7th, 2021 and will meet on Tuesday evenings for 4 weeks. Learn more on the coaching website. FILO Book: Invest in your team this fall. Read through “I Love Jesus But I Hate Christmas” as a team. Learn more and purchase books with a bulk discount at FILO.ORG/BOOK. Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We’d appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

the tension of nothingness Aug 13, 2021

There is nothing quite so daunting as an empty page when you are the one responsible for filling it with something meaningful. What if my ideas are bad? What if nobody likes it? Heck, what if I don’t like it? For me, I notice that I try to fill the blank page in one pass. To have all my ideas fully fleshed out and ready for public consumption. However, this is not a realistic expectation. Part of the reason for the pressure I feel is that I have a deadline looming. Something has to be made because there is a drop-dead date out there when we have to have something amazing. In her book The Creative Habit, world-renowned dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp says there is a trap we fall into “that everything has to be perfect before you can take the next step.” This can stop us from starting to fill the empty page. It can also stop us from tinkering with every step along the way. I would much rather edit what has already been started. Taking something and making it a little better is one of my favorite things. It also distracts me from starting the next thing. I want to make it perfect before I move onto the next step. Ms. Tharp goes on to say “that this form of perfectionism is more like procrastination.” Ouch. The fear that something should be just right or perfect, can stop us from filling the next blank page. Whether that next page is for the next part of your current project or the next project itself, being trapped in the cycle of tweaking and tweaking and tweaking will only stop you from continuing to create. Filling the blank page with the next thing is a habit that we must build. A muscle that needs to be exercised. To create when there isn’t any pressure. To create for the sake of creation. Developing a routine of creation will start to build up a library of ideas. Not creativity that needs to be jammed into the next emergency creation, but ideas ready on the shelf to be accessed when needed. Build time into your schedule for putting ideas onto the blank page. Make it a regular part of your rhythm. Build the muscles of creativity on a regular basis instead of waiting until you must have an idea. This could be dialing in a new plug-in or figuring out how to use your switcher in a new way, or maybe writing a set of values for your team. I don’t know about you, but the best ideas I’ve ever had have come from out of nowhere, or when there hasn’t been a pressing need for something, other than I was simply creating for myself. Maybe 75% of your ideas will never see the light of day. That’s totally fine. I’ve found that all ideas can help lead to the other ideas that actually get made. Let your blank page become filled with all kinds of ideas. Free yourself to dream up whatever, without the pressure of success or failure. What blank page is paralyzing you? How can you make time to be creative without a looming deadline?

Episode 066: Nate Anderson, Resi Aug 02, 2021

Todd sits down with Nate Anderson from Resi. They talk about the history of Resi, some of the secret sauce and where things are headed for church streaming.We are grateful for Resi’s support of this podcast episode. Visit resi.io to start a conversation today!Show Notes:Book: “Painting As A Pastime” by Winston ChurchillFILO 2021 Chicago Digital Resources: Did you attend FILO 2021 Chicago in-person or through live-stream access? Or perhaps you missed it this year and wish you could listen in on the really solid content? Great news! The four dynamic main sessions plus ALL of the 50 breakout classes are now available for purchase at FILO.ORG. Catch up on a breakout you missed or re-watch your favorites, show a volunteer a class that you think would help them, or watch one of the main sessions as a team-building exercise. Don’t miss the opportunity to become more effective as a technical artist!Subscribe to the FILO Podcast: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the FILO Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and be alerted any time we launch a new episode.Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We’d appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.orgFILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails.Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

the blank page Jul 22, 2021

Kinda like the one staring at me right now… Any time we need an idea, there exists a blank page. That moment before there are any ideas. It is nothingness. Empty. Whatever creative endeavor you’re attempting to undertake, you have to confront this void. At the beginning of any creative process, the creative person has the heavy end to carry here, and those of us in the production area have almost nothing to do. This isn’t a problem to solve, it is simply the way it is. At this early stage, the idea is primary. The ironic part of the blank page is that both sides, the creative and the technical, can feel powerless. If you’re on the creative side, the blank page is staring back at you. If you are on the technical side, you want to jump in and get going, but there isn’t anything to get going with. Regardless of the creative endeavor, you are pursuing, this first step cannot be avoided or passed over. Your church needs new ideas on ways to engage your congregation. And for people to stay engaged, we need new perspectives. If we aren’t willing to confront the blank page, we end up copying from someone else without thinking. “It worked for someone else, so let’s do it for us too.” As a group of people attempting to make something together, this is a temptation we need to avoid. Our congregations need us to be wrestling with what God would have for our church, not someone else’s church. And that wrestling requires facing the blank page, not just borrowing someone else’s blank page that has been filled up already. God is always showing up in new ways. In unique ways. In unexpected ways. In each of our lives. In each of our teams. In each of our churches. So in order to determine how He is showing up in your situation, you need to sit with a blank page to pray and dream about what the next thing is for your situation. Where is God moving and how can you get on board with it? There is no short way around this. Whatever side you sit on, The Creative or The Technical, the question of “What should we do?” needs to be wrestled to the ground. Whether it is an idea for a Christmas service or a question of what matters to you as a team, if you aren’t making the time to fill up the blank page with content unique to your situation at a given moment, you will be doomed to live in someone else’s ideas, which is not what the world needs. We need you to show up in the unique ways you were gifted. Showing up can only happen when you confront the blank page. How are you supporting the people on your team facing the blank page? What unique way do you and your team need to fill your specific blank page?

Episode 065: Chad Vegas Jul 12, 2021

Todd and Chad Vegas sit down to talk about excellence in production, following God’s call in our lives and how many office moves he’s had at Transformation Church. Show Notes: FILO Coaching Cohort: So often as technical artists, it can be easy to forget to look after yourself. To help with that, FILO offers Virtual Coaching Cohorts for personalized coaching and best practice sharing. Each Cohort has a limit of 10 people and runs for 4 weeks. Each week features a 2 hour program hosted by a FILO facilitator, leading discussions on building a strong production foundation at your church, learning how to enjoy the hard work with our teams, dealing with change and most importantly, learning to lead ourselves. Join a small community of church technical artists to inspire and encourage each other to the next level of effectiveness. Learn more or sign up on the waitlist to be notified when the next Cohort launches! Check out past highlighted episodes of the FILO Podcast: Episode 23 – Reid Wall – How to build a great production culture. Episode 37 – Justin Firesheets – It’s all about people. Episode 45 – Kaleb Wilcox – Tech people need to worship too. FILO Blog: Looking for ways to develop yourself this summer? Check out the FILO Blog where Todd shares new ideas on how we can best contribute in the area of church production at our local churches. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We’d appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 064: Greg Atkinson Jun 21, 2021

Greg Atkinson joins Todd on the FILO Podcast to talk about how to develop volunteers, how to engage people and the inside scoop on his life as a secret church shopper. Show Notes: Learn more about Greg: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Social Media Church Conference | First Impressions Conference FILO Book: Looking for a good summer read for yourself or your team? Check out “I Love Jesus But I Hate Christmas”, written by Todd Elliott. Purchase an individual paperback copy, 10+ paperback copies at a discount, the Kindle version or the audiobook version! Learn more or purchase at FILO.ORG/BOOK. Leave a review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We’d appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

reflections from FILO 2021 chicago Jun 10, 2021

It has been a few weeks since we hosted FILO 2021 Chicago, and I’ve been reflecting on what an amazing experience it was. And along with that, wondering why it was such an amazing experience. Like any good event producer, I like to analyze why something went well or why it didn’t go as planned. As part of that process, we sent out a survey to people who attended our event to see what their experience was like, and we got a whole range of responses. Some people loved everything and some people loved nothing. It is definitely a lesson in “it is impossible to please everyone.” But what is most significant to me is how much the worship time means to people who attend FILO. As a group of people, we are typically “working” during worship at our churches. Our form of worship involves making sure every distraction is eliminated; creating an environment where others have an opportunity to experience God first hand. At the FILO Conference, we take care of everything so that everyone attending can just focus on their own personal worship time. They don’t have to worry about the lighting, the audio mix and what font to use for the lyrics. And over the last 6 years, I have been amazed by my own personal worship experience at FILO. It is the highlight of my year. Nothing compares to it. And I know I’m not alone. Even talking to the worship team and the FILO crew, this is a top personal worship experience for many of us. Why is that? Is it the song selection? Is it the people in the band? Is it the mix? The lighting? The perfect camera shots? In reality, there is nothing special about the ingredients in the worship experience at FILO. However, I believe one of the key factors is each person’s expectations. We have experienced God at FILO during worship in the past and we expect Him to show up again. The people in the seats expect to meet God. The people on stage expect to meet God. And then we do. While I believe that God is ever-present and that He is everywhere always, I think I am more apt to miss out on His presence because I don’t expect to find it all the time. I’m just living my life each day. When I think about how I show up in the booth to work a service, am I expecting to meet with God or am I just trying to get the task list done? I am mostly expectant for problems: late message graphics, late drummer, Dante issues…you know what I’m talking about. I expect us to do our best to make no mistakes. I expect to be prepared. I expect to go through the motions. I expect to check my email during the second service message. I don’t believe I really think this way, but it is the way I behave. And besides, meeting with God in our services is for other people. That’s why I’m there, to help others have an opportunity to be with God. However, what if I showed up each week expecting God to show up, not just for others, but for me personally? Or if I believed that the production team could experience God in a new way, not just produce a flawless service? How do we keep ourselves in a state of expectancy each week? How do we stay engaged with what God wants to meet us for? Not simply showing up to get a job done, but showing up waiting for God to do something miraculous. Whether I am expecting God to move or not, doesn’t affect what God does. It does however affect what I do and my awareness of what God is up to. Doesn’t that seem like a better way to come to church this weekend? Not just getting a job done (because we still have to do that!) but knowing that God is present and waiting to meet with each of us.

Episode 063: Tony Fransen May 31, 2021

Todd hangs out with Lighting Designer Tony Fransen. They talk about details, earning trust, lighting for the room vs. lighting for TV, and the mayhem that is traveling evangelistic revivals. Show Notes: FILO Coaching Cohorts: 2 Cohort Groups are starting soon! Join the Women's Cohort, lead by Aubrey. Or the Cohort lead by Todd. Can't make either? Sign up on the Coaching Cohort waitlist to be the first to know when the next group launches. Leave a Review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 062: Chelsea Pribyl May 10, 2021

Todd gets to hang out with Chelsea! As one of the original FILO Core Team members, Chelsea brings a deep love of process to help make FILO happen. They talk about the need to develop systems to help keep things on track, building relationships to build trust and how making cupcakes is a type of production. Show Notes: LifePlan: Paterson Center FILO 2021 Chicago Conference: It's happening tomorrow, May 11th and 12th! Visit the event website to learn more. Register with discount code "podcast10" to receive 10% off your in-person or streaming ticket! Join us! FILO Coaching Cohorts: Learn more and join a Cohort this summer. Leave a Review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 061: Stephen Brewster Apr 19, 2021

Stephen Brewster joins the FILO podcast to talk about developing a creative culture, showing honor to one another, and brainstorming with a "yes, and" mentality. Show Notes: Seth Godin's Book: The Practice, Shipping Creative Work Jackie Brewster's Enneagram Devotional: Hearing God Speak Contact Stephen Brewster: Text him at 615.492.2342. Follow him on Instagram @b_rewster. Listen to his Blue Collar Creative Podcast. FILO 2021 Chicago Conference: Visit the event website to learn more. Register with discount code "podcast10" to receive 10% off your in-person or streaming ticket! Leave a Review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 060: Brian Tabor, Worship Leader Probs Apr 09, 2021

Todd sits down with Brian Tabor of Worship Leader Probs fame. They talk about how the Instagram account started and how it lead to launching a podcast. They talk about all the humor as well as the deep conversations that have resulted from people feeling seen and understood. Show Notes: FILO 2021 Chicago Conference: Visit the event website to learn more. Register with discount code "podcast10" to receive 10% off your in-person or streaming ticket! Leave a Review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 059: Stan Endicott & Caleb Loeppky Mar 29, 2021

Todd sits down with Caleb Loeppky from FILO Staffing and Stan Endicott from Slingshot Group to talk about the challenges of being a technical artist on staff at a local church when trying to figure out whether you need to buckle down or decide that your season is done. Show Notes: FILO Staffing: Interested in learning more? Visit the Staffing website to learn more. FILO Coaching Cohort: A new Cohort begins on April 8, 2021 and will meet on Thursday mornings for 4 weeks. Learn more or sign up on the waitlist to be notified when the next Cohort launches! FILO 2021 Chicago Conference: Visit the event website to learn more. Register with discount code "podcast10" to receive 10% off your in-person or streaming ticket! Leave a Review of the FILO Podcast: Your ratings and reviews help spread the word about the FILO Podcast to others. We'd appreciate your help! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 058: Dr. Andrew Johnston Mar 08, 2021

Todd sits down with author, professor and consultant Dr. Andrew Johnston, who is one of the FILO 2021 Chicago main session speakers. They talk about creating a team culture that activates individual and collective creativity. Show Notes: Dr. Andrew Johnston's Book: Purchase Fired Up: Kindling and Keeping the Spark in Creative Teams on Amazon today. FILO Coaching Cohort: Sign Up on the Waitlist to be notified when the next Cohort launches! FILO 2021 Chicago Conference: Visit the event website to learn more. Have ideas for the FILO Podcast? Email your feedback, send us your topic ideas or names of people you think we should interview! filopodcast@filo.org FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 057: Jon Jorgenson Feb 15, 2021

Todd sits down with YouTuber and Teaching Pastor from Soul City Church in Chicago, Jon Jorgenson. They talk about being creative for yourself, creating for others, along with what it means to be a "team player". Show Notes: FILO Coaching Cohort: Sign Up on the Waitlist to be notified when the next Cohort launches! FILO 2021 Chicago Conference: Visit the event website to learn more. FILO Emails: The best way to stay in the loop with what FILO is up to, is to sign up to receive our emails. Follow FILO on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 056: Dave Dolphin Jan 25, 2021

Todd sits down with Practical Worship YouTuber and worship leader Dave Dolphin to talk about important details to consider when streaming your services, including how to handle copyright. Show Notes: Dave Dolphin's YouTube Channel: Practical Worship Dave Dolphin's Website: PracticalWorshipBlog.Com Copyright Resources: Christian Copyright Solutions, CCLI, EasySongLicensing.Com "Man's Search For Meaning" by Viktor E. Frankl: Purchase the book on Amazon.

Episode 055: Alec Takahashi Jan 04, 2021

Alec Takahashi is a FILO Faculty Alumni and a touring LD that Todd got to sit down with and talk about collaboration, details and Disney's obsession with both. Show Notes: Advent: Looking to catch up on the FILO Advent Series? Join Todd on a four-week journey to center your heart this season. Read or watch 4 guided Advent devotionals at FILO.ORG/BLOG. Book: I Love Jesus But I Hate Christmas: Tackling The Challenges Of Being A Church Technical Artist, by Todd Elliott. Learn more at FILO.ORG/BOOK. The Imagineering Story: Watch on Disney +. A Faster Horse: Watch on Amazon Prime. The Donut King: Watch on Amazon Prime. Follow Alec on Instagram: @alectakahashi

Episode 054: Lee Fields Dec 14, 2020

Todd sits down with Lee Fields from MxU and Bayside Church to talk about the importance of having a life outside of work. Whatever your occupation, it is key to have interests and hobbies that have nothing to do with your job. The rejuvenation that comes from having a hobby makes us better humans. Show Notes: Join Todd on a four-week journey to prepare for the arrival of Jesus. Read or watch 4 guided Advent devotionals at FILO.ORG/BLOG. We are grateful for Vertigo's support of this podcast episode. When it comes to all things rigging, Tracy and his team at Vertigo are the best. Whether you need to fly someone at your next service, need your rigging systems inspected or simply want to have your team trained on safe rigging practices, the people at Vertigo can help you out. Visit their website at www.getvertigo.com for more information.

making space for memorable moments Nov 23, 2020

It’s the week of Thanksgiving in the United States. Be honest now, how many of you have put up your Christmas tree already? It’s OK if you’ve put up your outdoor Christmas lights because you definitely need to take advantage of any warm weather you can. But your Christmas tree? You’ve got to wait. In my house, not only do you not put up the tree until after Thanksgiving, but we have a rule that you can’t just start playing Christmas music whenever you feel like it. You’ve got to wait. And when the time does come, the first song has to be “Mele Kalikimaka” by Bing Crosby. It is the only way Elliott’s can enjoy the rest of the Christmas season. For many of us technical artists, the build-up to our Christmas began well before this week. That first brainstorming meeting about Christmas that happened a few months ago was our version of “Mele Kalikimaka”. And as we enter into this week of Thanksgiving, our final push to the finish line of Christmas services will begin. This has always been a tough week for me...knowing that the long days and late nights would start up and last for a while. Normally, I would already start putting my head down and just push to the finish line. But this year, before we do that, I would encourage all of us to take this week to look down the road and figure out a few key moments to pick your head up and stop pushing so hard. Just for a moment. Our lives are made up of many parts and it isn’t good for us to only focus on that one thing for so long. Family Moments Look for places in the calendar to make some memories with your family. Your spouse and your children need you. It is important for them to build strong memories of this time of year. Doing it without you isn’t the best idea. And all the memories to be made will be better with you in them. Don’t just leave this up to your spouse to figure out. Work it out together. Take some time this week to strategically make plans to have meaningful time as a family together. If you are single, you still have a family. Be strategic with them. Or maybe it’s with your friend group. Make plans. Don’t just spend all your energy on the Christmas services. Team Moments Our teams are cranking on making Christmas amazing for your congregation. At this time of year especially, it is very easy for the task to take over, which in turn leads people to feel like simply a means to an end. Make sure that there is time and space built-in for community, where people can just be people. At Willow Creek, our systems team used to provide “Holiday Cheer” for the rehearsal and services. It was basically cheese balls, dips, munchies, cookies, punch, etc. It was a chance to simply enjoy being together. When there is so much work to get done, it is easy to push relationships to the side. If you are the leader of the team, be strategic and be intentional to make time around the task to experience team moments. Self Moments It can be very easy to empty yourself out completely for a Christmas service and have nothing left at the end of it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been basically comatose on Christmas Day with my family. Find some time to set aside and connect with why you decided to get into production in the first place. Get back in touch with those thoughts. Hang onto them when things get tough. Along with this exercise, consider reading the Christmas story in Luke 2. Or possibly going through an Advent Reading to experience the promise, anticipation, peace, and joy of Christ during this season. (John Piper’s “Dawning of Indestructible Joy” and Dietrich Bonhoeffer's “God is in the Manger” have been good for me.) We can be so busy “doing” Christmas that we don’t ever stop to remember what Christmas is about in the first place. Whether your church is doing services as normal or you’ve got some new schedule with pre-recorded content and a drive-through Christmas experience, don’t let the season swallow you up.

Episode 053: Dennis Choy Nov 23, 2020

Good friend to FILO, Dennis Choy shares his story of burnout with Todd. They work through how we can sometimes let burnout creep up on us by doing really good things, but by saying yes to too much, we end up saying no to things that matter. Show Notes: Book Recommendation: Leading On Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion by Wayne Cordeiro Contact Dennis directly: churchtechcoach@gmail.com We are grateful for Panasonic's support of this podcast episode. The folks at Panasonic would love to have a conversation about your specific needs and help you develop the right solution for your church during these unprecedented times. Just click the Panasonic logo to see everything they have to offer. You can also contact the House of Worship Sr Business Development Mgr, Jim Jensen at 201-427-0606.

Episode 052: Nick Benoit Nov 02, 2020

Nick and Todd have a conversation about the creative process, storytelling, creative risk, and being dependant on each other. A good conversation to listen together with your creative person. We are grateful for Ross' support of this podcast episode. Ross has included a Worship Production episode in their webinar series: Ross Live Season 2. Jeremy Bagwell, the House of Worship Business Development Manager at Ross, will share ways to enhance your volunteer experiences without spending an extra dime, using Ross’ proprietary DashBoard, a free and open platform from Ross Video for facility control and monitoring. With DashBoard you can quickly build unique, tailored Custom Panels, making complex operations simple. During this Live Session, Jeremy will dive deeper into how and why DashBoard is such a powerful tool that empowers you to do more, with less. Watch live on their website, rossvideo.com/live, on November 17th at 11am EST to ask questions of Jeremy and their DashBoard team. Head to rossvideo.com/live to register for the free Worship Production webinar on Ross Live, Season 2.

Episode 051: Nate Krause, Amplio Oct 12, 2020

Todd sits down with Amplio co-founder, Nate Krause to talk about multi-site churches, understanding the why behind a decision and firetrucks. We are grateful for Amplio's support of this podcast episode. Visit ampliosystems.com to start a conversation today!

Episode 050: Wes Hartley Sep 21, 2020

Wes Hartley, former TD of Lakepointe Church in Dallas, sits down with Todd to talk about how we communicate with our teams to accomplish excellent services. We are grateful for Haivision's support of this podcast episode. Enter for a chance to win an Apple TV, learn more about streaming or chat with their team by heading to their website and fill out the form, today!

time for something new Sep 15, 2020

I think it is safe to say that we are all ready to return to normal. We’ve done the covid thing, we’ve learned a few new skills, but we’re tired of editing our services together and watching them online like everyone else. Unfortunately, normal is not coming back. At least not in the way we remember it. And maybe that’s a good thing. Getting back into the routine of pulling off services every week, now is the time to potentially make some changes. One of the main reasons we tend not to make changes is that it can cause disruption. Disruption on the team, disruption of the process. We’ve always done things a certain way, so why mess with it? Well, things have been disrupted alright. Most of us haven’t had services in person for 5 months! You can’t get more disrupted than that! Chances are, when we do get back, the way we used to do services is a thing of the past. It is time to make some adjustments. Not only adjustments to the "new" that we’re facing, but also to the “way we’ve always done things.” This is a perfect time to even do those things we always wished we had time for. Start Doing Remember all those great ideas you’ve had over the years but have never done anything about? Well now is the time to consider implementing them. There will never be a better time than now! Much of the challenge of starting something new is that it breaks you and your team out of a comfortable routine. The only comfortable routine you’ve had in the last 5 months has been working while still in your pajamas. Trust me, you need to break out of that one anyway! Maybe you’ve always wanted to have prayer time with the team before beginning rehearsal. Start now.Or perhaps you were in the habit of saying yes to everything because you were trying to be helpful. Now might be the time to start being strategic with your time and only saying yes to those tasks that help achieve your team’s mission.But what if I don’t have a mission? It’s time for that too! Developing a mission statement and a set of production values will help define how your team moves forward into this new era. There’s never enough time to figure this out. Start now. Start talking about them with your team. Get everyone on the same page as it pertains to what your team is about.And speaking of the team, maybe now is the time to invest more in the people than in the gear or the task. Investing in people might have seemed like something we could put on the back burner, but if we’ve learned something during the pandemic is that people and the community matter more than the stuff. Don’t lose the chance to reallocate your time away from the nuts and bolts and towards developing the people on your team. Don’t waste this amazing opportunity to start something new when you get back to meeting in person. The time is ripe to take yourself and your team to the next level by starting something new. Stop Doing This new beginning is also a great time to stop doing some things. Those tasks were designed for a different season or to slaughter that sacred cow. Similar to starting something new, we are already out of our routine, so let’s blow it up some more while we have the chance! “This is how we do it.” And I’m not talking about the song from the ’90s. That saying has stopped us too many times from starting something new. Stop saying it. Stop letting your team members say it. Let’s figure out some new ways of doing tasks. More efficient ways. More effective ways. Just because something worked in the past doesn’t mean it is still the right way now. Don’t be afraid to stop doing something just because the team is emotionally attached to it.Now is also the time to stop saying yes to everything. (I know this is similar to start being strategic with your time, but it is that important!) Be more strategic with your time! Especially if you are going to invest in our teams more, that means you can’t do as many tasks outside of the boundaries you’ve set for strategi...

Episode 049: Van Metschke, CCI Solutions Aug 31, 2020

Todd has a chat with good friend Van Metschke, former local church TD and current Church Relations Advocate with CCI Solutions. They talk about pretty much everything. We are grateful for CCI Solution's support of this podcast episode. Interested in learning more or chatting with their team? Head to their website and fill out the contact form, today!

Episode 048: FILO Book Launch Aug 10, 2020

Todd gets the tables turned on him and is interviewed by Jon Jorgenson about the newest FILO Resource, Todd's book: "I Love Jesus But I Hate Christmas". We are grateful for Living As One's support of this podcast episode. Interested in learning more or chatting with their team? Head to their website and fill out the contact form, today!

Episode 047: Tres Cozad, Yamaha Jul 20, 2020

Todd sits down with Tres Cozad, the Systems Engineering Manager for Yamaha and Nexo. As a former church technical director, Tres shares from his experiences trying to figure out production needs for all the multi-use spaces at his church. We are grateful for Yamaha's support of this podcast episode. Interested in learning more or chatting with their team? Head to their website and fill out the contact form, today!

Episode 046: Liz Forkin Bohannon Jun 29, 2020

Todd sits down with FILO 2020 Main Session speaker Liz Bohannon to talk about her book Beginner's Pluck. Many of the concepts she discovered along the way to founding her own company are super applicable to the world of the technical arts in the local church and they dig through them! We are grateful for Sardis' support of this podcast episode. Call Sardis today at 847.231.5915, or shoot them an email at hello@sardisvents.com to start a conversation!

preparing to fail Jun 25, 2020

A few months ago, I volunteered to provide production support for an event at one of my kid’s school. For me, it doesn’t matter where I’m doing production or for whom, I want to do great work. I don’t want people thinking about production, but about the content of the program. I want to be as transparent as possible. There were a couple of problems right off the bat. The gear at this school is suspect at best. I never know which mics will work or which lights turn on with which switches. Going in, I knew I was in for a challenge. The second issue was that the people presenting at the event wanted to use wireless headsets, even though they were just standing at a podium the whole time. Knowing what I do about the system that exists, I spent quite a bit of time trying to talk people into using a wired handheld mic, since it would give us the highest chance of success. No luck. You can probably imagine where this is going. Mic after mic failed. Either because of RF interference, a bad connector, or the flimsy headset mic falling off someone’s head. Fortunately, I had set up a wired mic by the podium just in case. This example speaks to a few things. We talked about it before the event I knew that the gear was questionable at best, so I spoke up. Not to complain, but just to explain what could happen. After the decision maker decided to respectfully not take my advice, we used the wireless mics. Prepare for failure When they failed, I didn’t make a big deal out of it and I definitely didn’t say “I told you this would happen!”. I prepared for the chance that they might not work, and then I didn’t carry the weight of responsibility whether it worked or not. I’d spoken up and someone else made the decision. I’m going to still do my absolute best to make it work, but if it doesn’t, someone else made the decision and carries some of the responsibility for the distraction that was caused. Because production is a mystery to most non-tech people, to some degree, only you know if you are doing everything you can to make sure things go well. In most of these situations, it is easy to just blame the gear. It is still your job to do your very best to prepare for every possible eventuality. Are you planning properly? Do you have a “Plan B” in case “Plan A” doesn’t work? Are you bringing up potential issues before they happen or only after they fail?

Episode 045: Kaleb Wilcox Jun 08, 2020

Todd talks with Kaleb Wilcox, associate pastor at Willow Creek's North Shore Campus and one of the people at the very first FILO brainstorming meeting all those years ago. They talk about how everyone executing the services are also worshippers and how that should affect how we pull off services. We are grateful for Adamson's support of this podcast episode. Visit filo.adamsonsystems.com to start a conversation today!

Episode 044: Daniel Scotti May 18, 2020

Todd and Daniel talk about the responsibility that we all have to be a pastor for the people on our team. We shouldn't just need volunteers to fill a position but to be involved in and care about their lives. Liz Forkin Bohannon's Book: Beginner's Pluck Rick Warren's Leadership Values: Lead, Feed, Understand the Needs, Intercede We are grateful for Amplio's support of this podcast episode. Visit ampliosystems.com to start a conversation today!

Episode 043: Sabrina Joseph Apr 27, 2020

Todd talks with Sabrina Joseph, Owner of Roya Productions in Atlanta and Project Manager for Local Engagement at Passion City Church. They talk about how she started in production and how it led to helping churches and organizations realize their ideas. Getting to the heart of the story, figuring out what we want people to feel and experience are just a few keys to making visions become reality. Passion City Church: home.passioncitychurch.com Roya Productions: royaproductions.com Simon Sinek TED Talk - "Start With Why" Book Recommendation: Anonymous: Jesus' Hidden Years... And Yours by Alicia Britt Chole Sound Design Documentary: Making Waves Sabrina is teaching a breakout class at FILO 2020 Chicago on Creating Environments. Join us and check it out! We are grateful for Clark's support of this podcast episode. To get more information on Clark, text "FILO" to 47-177, or visit Clark.IS/contact.

Episode 042: Andrew Schuurmann Apr 06, 2020

Todd sits down with friend and former co-worker from the Willow days, Andrew Schuurmann to talk about visual storytelling. Not only from the perspective of shooting and editing, but into why use video at all. It was a good time.

change happens Mar 30, 2020

Photo by Nicolas LB on Unsplash Change happens. This has become very apparent in our world these days. The thing that is interesting about change is that you really can’t prepare for it exactly. Take the Covid-19 situation we find ourselves in. I’m sure we could have done some things differently to prepare had we known it was coming, but the exact nature of the change has taken many of us by surprise. I’m not just talking about how I wasn’t prepared for hoarding toilet paper. For a group of technical artists in the local church, this has reinvented how church happens. Given the level of skepticism of “Online Church” just a few short months ago, none of us could have imagined that churches around the world would be holding services virtually. While the specifics of change might be difficult to prepare for, getting used to the fact that things change and then dealing with change is a muscle that many of us have been building for years. For those of us doing production in the local church, change is what we do. Or at least what we should have gotten used to by now. Think of any weekend. When did everything go as planned? Basically never. There is always something changing for one reason or another, completely outside of our control. A team member calls in sick. A song gets cut. A song gets added. Then that song gets cut. The pastor has a last-minute tweak to the sermon. The fire alarm goes off. And by the way, we now need to start streaming our services because no one is allowed in the building. When change happens, how have we learned to deal with it? What is your automatic response like when things change? Is it a positive one? Or is it dragging you and the people around you down? So much about managing change involves our mindset; how we think about change. There are two types of change. One that comes from lack of planning and poor systems. Fixing these feels easy (especially compared to where we see ourselves today). Building processes and systems to manage information is a key factor in making our services the best they can be. Do that. Eliminate the change that can be solved earlier in the week. Even after all the work to improve your systems and processes to eliminate change, the fact remains that things will still change. The other kind of change I’m talking about is more about the unexpected; one that is outside of our control. How you handle change every week has either set you up for success in today’s reality, or you are currently taking a crash course in change management right now. What are some ways that we can learn quickly to handle change? You don’t have to have all the answers. Relax. You aren’t the only one that is trying to figure this whole thing out. We all are. Cut yourself some slack. One of my favorite parts about so many churches learning how to stop meeting in person and continue online is that everyone is learning together. This is a change for all of us. We are all trying to figure out what’s going on. For the worship leader, how do you lead worship in front of an empty room? For the senior pastor who's used to working off the energy from the congregation, he is probably floundering and figuring out a new reality. On some levels, many of you are ahead of this curve because you were asked to figure out how to stream a long time ago. Not to prepare for this exact moment, but maybe just because the church down the street was doing it and we need to keep up. Not a great reason, but much of the technical side of streaming your services might have already been figured out. One of the reasons that change can be so difficult is that we all want to do great work, and when change rolls in, we’re not totally sure how to make it happen. This might show everyone that in fact, I don’t know what I’m doing. In a world that is so polarized, where it seems like we have to have an answer right away, or a solid opinion on everything, this can make handling change difficult.

Episode 041: TC Furlong Mar 16, 2020

Todd sits down with one of his favorite people, TC Furlong, to talk about the barriers to a great production. These barriers aren't just about better technology, but about our processes and even the relationships we have with our team.

Episode 040: Mike Sessler Feb 24, 2020

Mike Sessler shares his story and how each experience has helped to shape how he approaches production in the local church. We talk about ad agencies, portable churches and tanning beds!

Episode 039: Caleb Loeppky Feb 03, 2020

Caleb and Todd talk about the idea of FILO Staffing. What skills are churches looking for and what types of technical people churches are actually going to find. How can we help make the local church more effective through being the type of technical artists the church needs?

Episode 038: Scott Ragsdale Jan 13, 2020

Todd sits down with old friend and FOH mixer Scott Ragsdale to talk about mixing audio in church, on the road, or for local bands at the VFW.

Episode 037: Justin Firesheets Dec 23, 2019

Todd talks with Justin Firesheets about the transition from doing production to leading people doing production. To expand the reach of our ministries requires us to let go and to empower others. There is some good stuff in here!

wait vs can’t wait Dec 21, 2019

In this advent time of year, I have opened up one of my favorite advent readings to help me get ready for the coming of the Messiah and what it means in my life today. Right from the very first day’s reading, I was struck by the fact that one of the major themes of advent is waiting...Israel hoping for the coming Messiah. As a technical artist in the local church, waiting is not generally the feeling I’ve had as it relates to Christmas. I’m usually in the “can’t wait” category. Can’t wait for the set to get finished. Can’t wait for rehearsals to be over with. Can’t wait for the last service so that I can get home and sleep for a week. While the jews were waiting with anticipation, I’m usually waiting with impatience. I’m not expectant. I’m just ready to be done. During this Christmas season, how can I change this about my attitude? How would Christ want me to experience this time? If God created me to kill the production for my church at Christmas time, I have to believe that there is a better way to approach the advent season. Take Time Enjoy the People You’re With At Christmas time we spend tons of hours with a bunch of people at rehearsals. We go through lots of interesting experiences together, we work hard together. Take advantage of this time and invest in these relationships. Everyone there has full-time jobs, a family at home, or struggles in their lives, including you. It can be easy to just make it through this time together, on our way to getting back to real life. Well, guess what. What you’re doing right now is real life...engage with the people around you. God wants to use his Body for amazing things, like a Christmas service, but he also wants us to be investing in each other, to be engaging with each other’s lives while we are together. The Christmas season will soon be over, but don’t rush your way through the times you have with your production and creative teams while you’re together. Be intentional with the time you’ve been given. Engage with your Family So you’ve just spent too many hours at rehearsal and got home super late. You then have to get up and go back to work. Whether you’re a volunteer at your church or you work there, everyone has to be back to work the next day. We’re all tired. Guess what, your family is tired too. Your kids miss you; your spouse misses you. Don’t use your tiredness as an excuse for not engaging with them in meaningful ways. When my kids were smaller, I can remember being so tired after a late-night rehearsal and just wanting to crawl in a hole. My wife was really great to help me engage with her and the kids, even when I was tired. Christmas will come and go, and my family needs an experience at Christmas that includes me. And not one with dad on the couch always sleeping. I worked hard at getting over my exhaustion in order to engage with my family after a ton of hours behind a console. I don’t want my kids to remember Christmas without me in their memories. God can supply you with the strength you need to engage with your family. Be intentional. Be present. Let’s not “can’t wait” for this to be over. Let’s wait expectantly for what God wants to do in our lives in the midst of this busy season. For more thoughts on getting through Christmas in a healthy way, check out Episode 18 of the FILO Podcast, "Lessons Learned From Christmas Past". This episode features Kristin Twilla - from Kensington Church in Michigan.

Episode 036: Robert Scovill Dec 02, 2019

Todd sits down with Robert Scovill to talk about the Scovill origin story and explore some of the lessons Robert has learned along the way. Some of those lessons are related to audio, but many are just very insightful live skills. Learn more about Robert on his website: robertscovill.com We are grateful for L-Acoustic's support of this podcast episode. To get more information on L-Acoustics, visit their website.

Episode 035: Muchiri Gateri Nov 11, 2019

Todd talks with Muchiri Gateri, Head of Creative Technologies for Hillsong Church in Australia. They talk about leading teams, leading up and leading yourself.

Episode 034: Will Doggett Oct 21, 2019

Will Doggett, certified Ableton Live Certified trainer and founder of “From Studio to Stage” takes a few minutes to talk with Todd about his story, using tracks in church and TDs and worship leaders living in harmony. From Studio to Stage is an online community that helps you get from the studio to stage, and learn to perform like the pros with Ableton Live. When you subscribe you get access to over 25 courses, early access to weekly tutorials, and exclusive training content, a monthly call, just for subscribers, and a private Facebook Group. You don't have to try and figure this out on your own. Save yourself time and money, and learn from an Ableton Live Certified Trainer, and the supportive community at From Studio to Stage. If you're planning for Christmas and want to automate your lyrics in ProPresenter, sync video and lights to your tracks, there's no better place to learn how than From Studio to Stage. And if you're wanting to learn how to use tracks, and maintain spontaneity without spending hours, check out the training on using Ableton Live for tracks. Will has created a special promo, just for FILO listeners. Head to From Stage to Studio and use the code FILO20 to save 20% on your monthly or annual subscription.

Episode 033: Jeff VanderGiessen Sep 30, 2019

Todd sits down with Jeff VanderGiessen from Amplio Group and talks about the joys and challenges of being a TD in the local church.

Episode 032: Erin Meyer Sep 09, 2019

Erin Meyer is the production manager at Grace Church in the Indianapolis area and she sat down to talk with Todd about the challenges associated with being a female leader in a male-heavy industry. They also talked about many of the challenges we all face as tech people, regardless of our gender.

Episode 031: Luke McElroy Aug 18, 2019

Todd sits down with Luke McElroy and talks about Luke's book "Creative Potential" and the Salt Conferences.

Episode 030: Remembering Andrew Stone Jul 29, 2019

The day after Andrew Stone’s passing, Todd sat down with Justin Firesheets for a future podcast episode, and they ended up talking about memories of their times with Andrew. Justin had the idea of talking to more of Andrew’s friends to collect more stories. This podcast is a combination of conversations between Todd and several people who knew Andrew well. It’s a long podcast, but the stories are good. FILO Conference Memories with Andrew Stone

Episode 029: Jeff Sandstrom Jul 07, 2019

Todd and Jeff talk about MxU and FILO, along with topics such as balancing family and work, how to stay true to who we are as Christ Followers and what it means to thrive as a technical artist in the local church.

the big as* Jul 05, 2019

No. Not that big as*. The big ask. Every one of us who leads teams of volunteers knows about the big ask because, for most of us, it is something we stay away from. We have all these people who are giving up their valuable time to serve in the church and we know their lives are busy. Instead of asking them to commit all kinds of time to serve, we just don’t. I do this way more often than I’d like to admit. However, I’m in a season of ministry where if I don’t make the big ask, stuff isn’t going to get done. The funny thing to me is that I’ve had people tell me that they want to help. So what’s keeping me from the ask? I think it boils down to a couple of key traps that I fall into: Saying people’s “no” for them People are busy. And if I were honest, some of my best volunteers are killing it in the rest of their lives, because they don’t do anything mediocre. That’s why I like them on my team. Since I also know what it is like to be busy and to be gone from my family one more time, I’m hesitant to ask people to give up something else in order to help me. In reality, I’m cheating these high-capacity people from being able to serve by not asking them. One thing about these types of volunteers is that they haven’t become high capacity by saying yes to bad things and no to good things. These are smart people. So ask them and let them decide. What if I’m not offering them something significant enough? If I were honest, this is the thing that keeps me from asking people to serve in the first place. There’s a lot about production that is unsexy and frankly boring. Do I really want to ask the sharpest people I know to be a part of something that feels that way? I personally have no problem with the mundane and the boring parts of production since I know that they are foundational to a great production. These are the parts that nobody sees and that the average person doesn’t care about. This makes it hard to cast vision to volunteers for making time to be a part of it. Do I really want the lawyer-by-day to sit around while we are waiting for the band to figure something out? Or to have the neurosurgeon wrapping cables? Aren’t there better ways to use people’s time? I feel pretty strongly about how vital these mundane tasks are. So if I feel strongly, why don’t I feel better about asking people to participate? I think it is because I haven’t really sat down long enough to make a compelling case for why people should serve in this area; I haven’t convinced myself that it is worth our time to create the best service possible. I’d be the first to admit that production isn’t for everyone, especially if they aren’t into the unsexy parts of what we do. But if we aren’t creating compelling reasons for people to serve, it is no wonder that we aren’t asking them. People want to be a part of a winning team. Nobody wants to serve on a mediocre stage team or a video team that is just OK. Volunteers, most especially the killer kind, want to be on a kick as* team. Create an environment that is oozing with significance and then make the big as* (…the other one.)

Episode 028: Blaine Hogan Jun 17, 2019

Freelance filmmaker Blaine Hogan sits down with Todd to talk about making ideas a reality. From their almost 10 years of working together at Willow Creek, they talk through budget and time constraints, collaboration and mutual empathy.

Episode 027: Mike Foster May 27, 2019

Todd sits down with Mike Foster to dive deeper into the topics of relationships and handling failure.

Episode 026: Brad Zimmerman May 05, 2019

Brad Zimmerman, Creative Director at Watermark Church in Western Michigan, sits down with Todd to talk about doing production ministry, boundaries and innovation.

Episode 025: Ryan Howell Apr 15, 2019

This episode features FILO 2019 main session speaker Ryan Howell, the Director of Production at Watermark Church in Dallas. Todd and Ryan hit all kinds of topics including team values, Easter and Top Golf. Watermark's Production Values: Create Collaborate Cultivate Circulate One Team Mentality Be a Host, Not a Guest Monday Conversations (feedback) Solution Oriented Flexibility Over Frustration Eurovision Production Diary Learn more about Reidel by visiting their website.

Episode 024: FILO Goes to Minsk Mar 24, 2019

The FILO crew went to Minsk, Belarus to interview Ola Melzig, the head of production for the Eurovision Song Contest for one of the main sessions for FILO 2019. We talk about our great experience with the Eurovision crew, Belarusian food, and riding in the Minskerbus! JON AND DAVE ON THE PLANE MINSK AIRPORT ON THE MINSKERBUS MINSK ARENA WALKIN LOADING DOCK RIGGING OLA WITH LIGHTS FANCY DINNER GASTON'S PUB BEAR CLAW HARTMUT JON LOUNGING LENIN CHICKEN OF THE PEOPLE THE MALL ELEVATOR RIDE UGLY BUILDING BEEF AND BEER BORSCHT BEEF AND BEER PODCAST RECORDING FILO BAG LEFTOVER RUBLES

Episode 023: Reid Wall Mar 04, 2019

Todd chats with Reid Wall, one of the production managers for Hillsong Church in Australia. Their discussion ranges from how Hillsong production builds teams to building the foundation of your ministry on mission and values.

Episode 022: Debbie Keough Feb 10, 2019

In this episode of the FILO Podcast, Todd talks with Debbie Keough. She is a freelance technical artist, specializing in audio. Debbie shares her insights on how to recruit with inclusivity, how to serve with a heart to train, and the challenges and benefits of Virtual Soundcheck.

Episode 021: John Cassetto Jan 20, 2019

In this episode of the FILO Podcast, Todd talks team culture with John Cassetto, leader of the worship ministry at Saddleback Church.

Episode 020: Jim Sippel Dec 30, 2018

Todd talks with former Willow Creek co-worker, Jim Sippel about color temperature, camera aperture settings, and everything to do with lighting for video. It's basically a bunch of science, which we could all use a little more of!

Episode 019: Chris Wheat Dec 09, 2018

Todd talks with Chris Wheat, the operations director at Soul City Church in Chicago, about project managing a new building program. They talk about dreams early in the process and figuring out what was most important for the new space, as well as lessons learned along the way. Juggling the new building project with your full-time job, how much to work to take on yourself versus hiring professionals to get it done, and many other topics.

Episode 018: Kristin Twilla Nov 18, 2018

Christmas is coming! Are you ready? Have you been preparing all the details? Have you prepared yourself? Your family? Todd goes back to Christmas pasts to talk to one of the OG crew at Kensington Church Kristin Twilla, about the journey from less than healthy Christmas processes to the version it is today.

production generosity Nov 10, 2018

I’ve been working my way through the New Testament and came across a verse that I had highlighted in an earlier reading: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” – 2 Cor. 9:6 Photo from Shutterstock I’m sure I’ve read this verse countless times, and each time I’ve viewed it from the standpoint of money. However, this time it struck me completely differently. If I were honest, because so much of what we do as technical artists requires perfection…or at least no mistakes, it can be really easy to be protective and grabby when it comes to what I’m responsible for. It can be difficult for me to delegate, because what if that other person makes a mistake but I’m the one responsible for the outcome? I’ll just do it myself. I love new creative ideas, but because it’s new, it probably means I might not know how to execute it; I don’t know all the ways it could go wrong. I’m going to have to say “no”. This type of behavior is what I would call “Sowing sparingly”. In my earlier years as a technical artist, I wondered why people didn’t give me the benefit of the doubt more often. I wondered why most conversations had me on the defensive. Looking back, I was in the “sow sparingly” category. As a technical artist, the concept of sowing sparingly is about being careful. It is about trying to control each situation as much as possible. It is about protecting the idea of “no mistakes”. If I were honest, when I was fully living out my life this way, I was miserable. And I’m pretty sure the people around me were also. Or at least they didn’t want to include me in their brainstorming or their new ideas, because they knew it would not be a fun conversation. Somewhere along the way, I realized that I could be more open-handed with my craft; that I could be more honest about the “what might happen”s in any new idea. I didn’t need to live in a world where all success or failure landed on my shoulders. It was something that we were doing together and the point was that we were sharing that burden. When I started living a life of generous sowing, things changed dramatically. For one thing, I began to enjoy collaborating. I loved working out an idea together to figure out how to actually do it. Working out of a generous place opens up the possibilities; now we’re not just doing the same old thing, but we’re able to think outside the box a little. Sowing with generosity means that I’m delegating when I can; sharing what I know and developing those around me with potential. Living in a “no mistakes” world isn’t really possible. The idea is to learn and stretch each other, which means that mistakes will happen as part of the journey. If we aren’t making mistakes, our world is probably increasingly narrow and limited…sowing sparingly. If the body of Christ is made of people who are supposed to be using their gifts for the common good, we need to create opportunities for people to serve. This requires leading our teams with generosity. As a leader, the beauty of leading this way is that generosity becomes a part of your culture. The team will follow your example. I have been amazed in my life at what God can do when I live generously. On the opposite side of that same coin, it is depressing to think how many times I limited what God wanted to do in me and my ministry because I was too afraid of what would happen if I was more generous. Generous with collaboration. Generous with delegation. Generous with people. In what ways are you sowing sparingly? What is one area or one relationship that you can loosen your grip and practice generosity?

Episode 017: Andrew Stone Oct 28, 2018

From the outside looking in, it seems like Church on the Move has unlimited funds to do whatever they want. In this conversation with Andrew Stone, we look at how to work with limited resources.

martin luther and the perfect mix Oct 25, 2018

The cobbler praises God every time he makes a decent pair of shoes. I read this quote a few weeks ago. It is attributed to Martin Luther…you know, the guy who helped kickstart the reformation. Using the interwebs, I went looking to see if he actually said this, and I only found anecdotal evidence. Instead of spending any more time looking, it seemed like it was time to just write what I was thinking about it, since it is a great idea, whether or not Martin Luther said it. As a technical artist in the local church, it is really easy to lose sight of the fact that what I do matters. And it doesn’t just matter from the standpoint of executing a service flawlessly or helping to create an environment where people can experience God. The reality of Herr Luther’s statement is that doing what God created me to do and doing it well, is an act of worship. My personal act of worship. Martin Luther talked about a guy making shoes. I’m talking about those of us behind the soundboard, or backstage, or editing videos. God doesn’t create all of us to be on stage leading people in worship or teaching God’s word for our congregations. Most of you who read this blog are behind the scenes. For most of us, it is easy to assume that we do all this work for the sake of other people, so they won’t be distracted and can worship freely. While true, it is just a shadow of the truth. So many times, technical artists that I talk to end up worshipping excellence or the perfect mix; the goal of their art form is the art or the technology itself. There is so much more to what we are doing. God created us as technical artists to worship him. By practicing our art with excellence, by creating the perfect mix, when editing the next video we were designed for worshiping God. What motivates you? Is it the technology? Is it facilitating worship for others? Is it using how God has made you return worship to him?

Episode 016: Dave Hunter Oct 07, 2018

If you've been to the FILO Conference, you know Todd's guest Dave Hunter as the MC of FILO and the leader of Green Room Improv, who performed at FILO in 2016. Dave and Todd talk about all kinds of things, some interesting and some not so interesting, but mainly about storytelling through the medium of video. Dave shares some of the values he follows as he tries to tell the most effective story possible.

help me understand… Oct 03, 2018

I have been struck again this week by the fact that the world of church production is a mystery to non-production people. This isn’t a bad thing or something to try to solve. Andy Stanley would say “it is a tension to be managed” (he would actually say it twice for emphasis, but I’ll just write it once). I agree that it is something that is ongoing, but the word “managed” sounds too much like the word “tolerated” or even “giving up on it being any better”. Almost resignation. As I have been talking to the various production people I work with, and then speaking to the producers of the ministry they support, I am amazed at how easy it is to misunderstand each other, to assume something that isn’t necessarily true, to make conclusions about people without knowing them or asking for more information. As I write this, I am realizing that there are tons of dynamics going on here and that I could write all day about ways to improve things or how things should be different, but I am going to focus on one. Help People Understand Your World. For crying out loud production people, start communicating with your counterparts that don’t get your world! You do so much behind the scenes that nobody sees or even understands, and instead of giving you a pat on the back for all your hard work, they end up wondering what you do with all your time. All they know is that they don’t see you around. They also know that you say “no” to all their great ideas without any kind of alternatives or options. When someone is wondering what you do all day, and then you tell them they can’t do something, it's no wonder there is a gulf between the booth and the stage! For years, I would wait for the stage people to come to me to understand my world. After all, I’m an introvert, and it’s OK if I just hang back here by the booth because everyone should come to me and get to know me and ask me how I’m doing and be amazed at all the gear I re-racked this week...It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. Get out of your cube, your office, the booth, and engage with the people on stage on stage or whoever you need to, in order to bridge the chasm of understanding the exists. Make the move to help the non-production people you work with understand your world…in a language they can understand. Create opportunities to connect outside of the tension of services and rehearsals. Is there tension? Yes. Will it go away? Probably not. Do we need to just live with it? No. Should it be managed? I believe we must get beyond “managed” and figure out ways to leverage the differences for the benefit of our churches. How can we take what makes each of us unique and celebrate the differences so that we can push each other to create the best services possible for our congregations? One thing is for sure, it won’t happen without tons of communication. That starts with you.

Episode 015: Sara Emmerson Sep 16, 2018

On this episode, Todd sits down with Sara Emmerson, the Creative Pastor at Soul City Church in Chicago, to talk about pretty much everything. Soul City Church just finished a new 800 seat auditorium, so Sara and Todd talked about the challenges and excitement that comes from leading a team into that new space, collaborating with senior pastors and creating a culture where there is freedom to fail. It's a good one!

puffy paint and scrappiness Sep 14, 2018

This is a guest post by Chelsea Pribyl, FILO Chief Operations Officer. One of the final items that I discovered on a big closet re-org project recently was this shirt. Just as the production swag items in your closet can probably relate, it’s a t-shirt I’ve had in my collection for a really long time. About 13 years. This one stuck out to me as I purged. This shirt reminds me of my early years of ministry. For me, my early years of being a church technical director were in youth ministry. Where expectations were massive and budgets were rather tiny. Where most volunteers were unreliable. I’d receive the inevitable “no-shows” on Sunday morning. The equipment wasn’t functioning well. Stresses were often unbearable. But in my younger years of early ministry I was scrappy, adventurous, and up for a challenge. This shirt was made by hand. By a 19-year-old female leader eager to unify the tiny team she did have. She made the shirt with puffy paint and a template cut out of overhead projector transparencies and an Exacto knife. It meant a lot to that girl when someone would say, “You’ve got this! Keep going!” So as I reflect on this little treasure today, I am eager to not lose sight of that scrappiness and adventure and challenge. May I never lose touch with where I began, how far I’ve come, and the people who guided me along the way. Related Resource: To continue developing your skills as a tech artist or as a leader, learn more about FILO Coaching with Todd.

“what can God do?” vs. “what God can do.” Aug 30, 2018

Probably my favorite part about my Facebook feed is the Memories feature. Especially with kids, it is amazing to see how things have changed over the years. Am I really getting that old? Today, this was my memory: 4 years ago on this day, it was my last day as a staff member at Willow Creek Community Church. 4 YEARS! What the heck. It only seems like yesterday... and as we all know how time can be, it feels like another life. If I take myself back to the spring and summer of 2014, stepping away from Willow Creek was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life… leaning into Christ for what He was trying to tell me. He had been attempting to get my attention for some time, but I had been unwilling to listen to that still small voice. Leading up to this time, I thought I had everything figured out… I know how God wanted to use me and the method by which He was going to do that. In reality, my life for the last four years since then proves that God has a higher plan for all of us, one that we cannot see or comprehend. There is nothing like having a front-row seat to watching God work and move in people’s lives, and when I think about not having the opportunity to have that front row seat at FILO, it is scary to think about what life would have looked like had I not taken a step towards Him and a step away from my own master plan. My big ideas for me and my life and God’s big idea for me and my life couldn’t have been more different. At the beginning of my process, I couldn’t imagine how God could use me if I wasn’t the Technical Arts Director at Willow Creek Church. The question God asked me over and over again was: “Do you trust me? Do you trust that I can do more than you can ask or imagine?” My answer was pretty emphatic: “No, I don’t trust you!” (I think I might have even thought “Are you nuts?!”) I’m not proud of my response, I was just being honest. It took me a while to come around to putting my trust in God’s ability. For me, I thought my plan was pretty amazing. Really, what can God do that isn’t already happening? It turns out that I spend a lot of my life subconsciously asking this question all the time… ignorant of how much I’m limiting what God can do and wants to do in my life. When I finally came around to taking a step of faith and trusting God for my future, things changed from “What could God possibly do?” to simply “What God can do.” One of the traditions in the Willow Creek Production Department is that when someone is leaving staff, we would all eat at this restaurant called The Texan. (Even if someone wasn’t leaving, if someone suggested The Texan, you had to wonder if there was something you didn’t know about…) Anyway, my going-away party was at The Texan and there were a ton of tables set up for our group. I remember thinking that there was no way we’re going to have that many people here for this. Well, by the end we had to add more tables to fit everyone. There was a moment in that lunch where God showed up for me. I remembered a similar goodbye party for me when I left Michigan to take a job at Willow Creek. That group was about 1/3 the size of the group gathered there that day. When I left Michigan, I couldn’t imagine what God had in mind for my life at Willow Creek. Sitting at the table with that in mind, the impression I had from God was: “Because you chose to trust me to leave Michigan, look what I’ve done.” And then: “Because you’ve trusted Me to leave your job at Willow Creek, watch what I do next.” FILO wasn’t even a thing back then, it was just a faint idea. Without question, God has shown up in huge ways since the day I decided to trust Him and step away from my job. He has been more than worthy of my trust. What are the ways that you are subconsciously living in your own plan? Are you asking the question “What could God possibly do?” Or are you making the statement: “What God can do.”?

what can i learn from this person? Aug 30, 2018

I should probably just do a blog post from each of the episodes of Netflix’s show Abstract. It is so good. If you haven’t watched it yet, I can’t recommend it any higher, especially if you’re a technical artist in the local church. There is so much great content from all the artists featured. One of the episodes is about the portrait photographer Platon. He has produced some of the most iconic portraits in recent history... Check his collection of world leaders on his website. Over the course of the episode, he talks about what it is like to capture a photo of such powerful people. He said he starts his process with the question: “What can I learn from this person?” This is an interesting approach for someone who has a lot to think about technically... Is the lighting right? Will the subject be easy to work with? Which lens should I use? The list could go on and on. But for him to capture the essence of someone on film, he needs to get past all the technical details and get to the heart of the person. After watching this episode and thinking about how this question could help me do my job better as a technical artist, here are a few things I plan to implement in the context of pulling off weekend services in combination with our pastor and the rest of our worship team. Platon researches his subjects before they arrive. How much do you really know about the people you work with? How many kids do they have? What matters most to them? How did they end up playing guitar in a church? For Platon, most of the people he is photographing have biographies written about them or at least have extensive Wikipedia pages to dig into. For us, we need to be a little more creative. What can you learn about your fellow teammates before Sunday morning? Can you take them to coffee? Can you buy them lunch? All in an attempt to understand their perspective and their world. Asking people questions about their lives and not just asking how many keyboards they’re planning to bring this week helps to break down barriers between the stage and the booth. I think Lee Fields from MxU says “Don’t ask someone to turn down their amp if you don’t know their kid’s names.” If Platon can find out what matters to this person, he might be able to interpret them the best through photography. Whether it is your senior pastor’s message or a scripture reading, a prelude, or a worship song, how can we learn everything we can about the person on the other side of the camera/microphone/light/graphic to help us use technology in amplifying their heart? On a bad day, production can ruin the message. If we miss a cue or we cause a distraction, we’ve pulled people away from the main message. On a good day, the technical arts can take a message or a song and create a moment that will help move people. If technology is disconnected from the heart of what’s happening, we’ll do our best based on our own knowledge and opinions, but this can lead to misinterpretation and distraction. By understanding the heart behind something can really help us interpret it as close to the artist's intent. That is only going to happen if we really seek to understand by asking questions and trying to learn from the other. Platon asks questions during the photoshoot based on what he knows about them. The conversation revolves around who they are and what makes them tick. Not what he needs from them. Especially on Sunday mornings, it is really easy to only talk about the task at hand and not even consider that there are people involved to make the service happen. As technical artists, it is easy for us to get hyper-focused on doing our job flawlessly, so we care less about the people and more about what they are doing for us. Thinking about Platon, he needs to get everything just right for his photos to turn out. But he also knows that he needs the other person to show up. As a result, he is talking minimally about what he needs from them and trying to engage them in way...

Episode 014: MxU Aug 26, 2018

On this episode, we get to talk to the MxU guys! Jeff Sandstrom, Lee Fields, and Andrew Stone talk about how MxU came about and we look ahead to all the ways they are investing in the local church technical arts community through MxU Live, MxU Coaching, and MxU Live.

Episode 013: Jeff Boriss Aug 07, 2018

Production in the local church lives in the tension between developing people & excellence. Our ministries run on the expertise and dedication of volunteers. Creating services with excellence requires a level of consistency that can make leveraging volunteers difficult. Is there a way to develop new people without having to sacrifice quality? In this episode of the FILO Podcast, Todd sits down with Jeff Boriss, the Creative Arts Champion at Community Christian Church, to talk about how he balances out these sometimes competing values.

pixel mapping with LED tape Aug 02, 2018

Earlier this month, we asked the FILO community on Instagram what questions they had for us. One of our followers wrote back: "Need info on the simple way to pixel map with 5050 LED tape. RGBW. Controllers, software, etc." We headed straight to an expert for an answer. Check out what Willow Creek's Lighting Engineer, Jordon Monson recommends: I think this can be separated into 2 different questions.What is an easy way to pixel map with 5050 led strips? Controllers, software, ect.(Disclaimer, I have not used an Enttec system but I know people who have and like them.)The easier option is to use a system from someone like Enttec, You can buy a complete system from them for controller and software or mix and match their Pixelator hardware and use whatever Artnet media server you would like to.Enttec products support a bunch of different led tape chip types and claim both RGB and RGBW support so check compatibility, but it should work with your favorite digital led tape.What is a cost-effective way to pixel map with 5050 led strips? Controllers, software, etc.I always recommend Holiday Coro as a good lower cost option to get into digital led tape. Their Alphapix 16 controllers support a lot of RGB LEDs and is a lot more cost effective.It is also more of DIY solution which can scare some away, but overall it's not overly difficult to set up.Holiday Coro also sells great led tape and node products to go with their controllers at a very fair price as well.I have not used this system with RGBW LEDs and I do not know if it would work properly or not, but it may be possible to make it work.Software that should work with both:Enttec ELMMad MapperDisguise Media Server Have any further questions? Leave a comment and let us know! Check out articles by Jordan and other staff in Willow Creek's Production Department.

Episode 012: Matt & Aubrey Wentz Jul 15, 2018

Balancing work with the rest of your life can sometimes feel impossible. In this episode, Todd sits down with Matt and Aubrey Wentz. Matt works on the systems team at Willow Creek and Aubrey is the executive producer for the Willow Creek Crystal Lake Campus (you also might know her as the co-host from the FILO Conferences). Needless to say, they live busy lives, so we talked about strategies that they have developed to get the most out of their work lives as well as their home lives with 2 small daughters.

what can i make next? Jul 11, 2018

I’ve been watching the documentary “Abstract”. It follows the lives and careers of artists from very different fields...an architect, a photographer, a set designer, even the Air Jordan shoe designer. As a technical artist, it has been so great to watch and learn from other types of artists, so as someone who loves a good documentary, it has been an amazing series. One of the more fascinating episodes was about Paula Scher, a graphic designer who is a principal at a very influential design firm’s office in New York City. She started out as an album cover artist and designed some of the most iconic album art for groups like Boston, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson...you get the picture. She basically owned album art in the late ’70s through the ’80s. From there she went on to brand design and has been equally prolific...Citibank, CNN, Windows 8, Shake Shack...you know, whatevs. It is difficult to imagine how someone can be in the same field for so many years and still be so original, creative, and relevant. As someone who works in the local church, creating services every week, it can get a bit overwhelming to be original, creative, and relevant. How can we tell the same story again in a fresh way? How can we leverage technology to help achieve this? Is there anything new? All this leads to something that Paula said in the episode of Abstract: “I’m driven by the hope that I haven’t made my best work yet. What can I make next?” What a freeing concept! And what an amazing lens with which to view each new challenge! If I’m honest, I usually get anxious and defensive when a new project comes along. Will I have any good ideas? Will I fail, utterly? What if, what if, what if? Unfortunately, most of us tech people have a bad reputation for having a negative initial response to a new idea. We are figuring out how to create an environment where failure can’t happen, so our immediate reaction can be “it can’t be done”. Since a service going perfectly is the expectation, it makes good sense that we’d be protecting that standard. However, in an attempt to create the “perfect” service by doing only what we know, we shut ourselves off to potentially a better way. In this mode of thinking, our best work is behind us. How can we approach our upcoming services with the idea that it may contain our best thinking, our best effort, our best work?

Episode 011: Alex Fuller Jun 25, 2018

If lighting is done well, it helps to enhance a service. If it isn't, then chances are it is distracting people from worshiping. Todd talks with Alex Fuller the lighting designer from Bethel Church on how they go about programming lighting so it’s not distracting and invites people into an experience with God rather than just being a show.

money isn’t everything Jun 18, 2018

Photo from Shutterstock I love to read. And I love reading non-fiction. History. Biographies. You know, all the stuff your dad reads and you think he’s weird...those books. I’m that guy. Recently I read a dual biography of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, the partnership that created some of the most popular musicals in the middle of the 20th century. I love the music and arrangements of their songs, but listening to them with 21st-century ears, they can definitely seem a bit cheesy. However, if you can believe it, their musical “Oklahoma!” blew the doors off of Broadway when it debuted in 1943, in much the same way “Hamilton” did in our generation. Rodgers and Hammerstein went on to create musical after musical, and not just with the two of them, but collaborating with choreographers, arrangers, cast members, and investors. Some of these shows we still know today, “The King and I", “South Pacific” & “The Sound of Music” to name a few. Then there are some musicals that we don’t remember, shows that didn’t make it very far. Along the way, with both the hits and the duds, there were several instances when things just weren’t working right...whether it was the story being bloated, or a song not working, or an underperforming leading actor. In some cases, they just threw money at a problem (after some huge successes, they had some of it to blow). However, quite often more money didn’t help the problem. Richard Rodgers had this to say: “Anybody can fix things with money. It’s when things need brains that you have a little trouble.” I love this quote. More money does not always solve the problems. Creativity, thoughtfulness, ruthless editing...these are the things that solve problems. For most of us working to create services in the local church, more money sounds like a great solution to the challenges we have. Repair those lights. Buy some more plug-ins. Buy an LED wall. For me, having been a part of churches in all stages of growth, just throwing money at something tended to cause more problems than it solved. Before just wishing you had more money to fix something, what are some ways to use our brains to solve the problem? How can we use something we already have to accomplish the same thing? Can we simplify the idea to leverage what we already have? Is there an entirely different way to do this? I was once talking with someone who works at a very large church that was “afflicted with affluence”. Money was not a problem for them. If there was ever a need (or a perceived need) the only question that was asked was “How much will it cost?”, and then the check was written. No one asked the essential question “Should we be doing this?”. Over time what happened the church ended up being involved in way too many things that pulled them away from the central mission of the church...and incidentally overextending the production team on events that weren’t essential. Not having unlimited funds creates a necessary boundary that causes us to dig down into an idea to make it fit inside the constraints we have. Boundaries help make things better. It causes us to think more intently about something. It makes us pause to consider if it should be done at all. Constraints help us think of ways to get something done differently and more effectively. The act of editing an idea to fit into our reality helps to boil an idea down to its essential core. It makes something that was just OK into something amazing. During the planning of one Christmas service, there were some amazing ideas, however, our budget couldn’t support them all. After researching each idea and putting an estimated price tag on it, we all sat down and figured out together how we would make it all work. The idea people and the idea executors in one room, working through the difficult task of editing the ideas to fit inside the boundaries of the budget. It was one of the most collaborative processes I have ever been a part of,

Episode 010: Chris Brown & Dennis Choy Live from FILO 2018 Jun 03, 2018

FILO 2018 main session speaker Chris Brown, along with Dennis Choy, have a conversation about how senior pastors and technical directors can well work together. Kaleb Wilcox and Aubrey Wentz guest host the FILO Podcast that was recorded in front of a live audience at FILO 2018.

Episode 009: Live from FILO2018 May 27, 2018

The FILO Podcast went live this week! We took some time at FILO2018 to talk to people about their experience at the conference. Guest hosts Aubrey Wentz and Kaleb Wilcox talk with FILO attendees on the Amplio Lounge stage about their favorite things. Learn more about Amplio on their website. Learn more about SPG on their website.

Episode 008: Nate Parker May 14, 2018

Nate Parker, Technical Producer for the FILO2018 main sessions joins Todd to talk about FILO prep why he loves serving the FILO community.

Episode 007: Rusty Anderson Apr 23, 2018

Todd talks with Rusty Anderson from Passion City Church about live video and making sure that it is not distracting but instead invites people into an experience with God, rather than a show.We are grateful for Haivision's support of this episode. Learn more by visiting their website.

Episode 006: Kaleb Wilcox Apr 02, 2018

Kaleb Wilcox, the executive producer for the weekend service at Willow Creek's North Shore campus talks with Todd about their relatively new building project and the challenges that went along with it.

building production teams the ritz carlton way Mar 23, 2018

Photo from Shutterstock I had the pleasure of working an event that Horst Schultz was one of the main speakers. Not only is he a wonderful individual, but he has built a few successful businesses in his lifetime. Most specifically The Ritz Carlton Hotel chain. He was giving a talk about how to create a great service organization, which for him is every organization. He had many points, but at one point he was talking about how to hire employees that will catch the vision of your company. I immediately started writing these down, since they also related to what we do on our volunteer production teams at our church. If we want our ministries to grow and for our capacity to increase, we can’t do this without a significant number of volunteers. And when we’re spreading out ourselves among many people, how do we make sure the values that we have internally get spread to all the people on our teams? Here are Horst’s four points for instilling the values of your company into new employees, which we will look at in terms of our volunteer teams. Select the Employee For Horst, this was key. You aren’t hiring someone or taking a warm body onto your team. You are carefully selecting the employee. You aren’t just letting anyone on the team, you are carefully selecting them for whether or not they fit on the team. You are looking for ways that they naturally line up with your team’s culture. For many of us, we are desperate for more people, so we sacrifice the “selection” by saying yes to everyone who comes along. We need to figure out what kind of team we want and pick people who fit that. Orient them to the Soul of your Company Once someone is on the team, Horst makes a point to meet with all the new hires on their first day of work. Because of the way our brain works, any time there is a big change in our lives, we tend to mark it as an important moment. For Horst, the first day of someone’s new job is an important moment to capture. Horst uses that time to share the vision of his company and invite these new employees to join him. The thing that is amazing about this story is that Horst is the one who does this initial orientation. He is the CEO for crying out loud! I love this idea of getting everyone on the same page at the same moment. For many of us, it might be impractical to have every new volunteer start on the same day, but to have a vision to share with new team members is key. If we want everyone to go about production from a similar perspective, we have to give them all the same set of values to follow. For Horst, his company has 24 values that they share with everyone on their teams. Do you have values that represent the soul of your team? If you don’t, maybe now is the time to come up with a list of what matters to you. Without it, it will be nearly impossible to get everyone on the same page and dialed into the soul of your team. Training for Function I love that this is the third step. Training comes third! For many of us, we only think about training new volunteers on the task ahead. For Horst, if people don’t know what you stand for, what does it matter if they know how to do their function. The other thing I like about this is that Horst and his company are doing training. They aren’t assuming someone knows how to do things the companies way. How often do we make assumptions that our volunteers know how to work a compressor or understand how graphics should be run at our church? Even though it may seem redundant to teach people how to perform a function, we can’t expect our teams to deliver consistent results if we aren’t training them on how our church does things. Reinforce What You’ve Taught Each time Horst’s teams meet, they revisit one of the 24 values they have as a company. They almost have a liturgy. Every hotel highlights the same value on the same day. Every employee is having the same value reinforced at the same time. After coming up with the list of values for your team,

Episode 005: Chris Thomas Mar 09, 2018

Easter is coming up pretty quick. For most of us, it is the event that tends to sneak up on you if you aren't careful! In this episode, Todd talks with Chris Thomas, the Technical Arts Director at Cherry Hills Church about how they have been preparing for Easter this year. There are some great leadership lessons in this one! (and some random thoughts on Easter candy)

trickle charge Mar 01, 2018

Over the Christmas break, my daughter was home from college. It was amazing to have her back in the house. While she was home, she was driving one of our vehicles that don’t heat up very well. Because of that, I bought a heated pad that sits between the driver and the actual seat. The downside to this added heat pad is that if you leave it plugged into the cigarette lighter, it will drain the battery… quickly. This happened recently. And that battery was DEAD. Not sort of dead, but all the way. Nothing would happen. No interior lights coming on. No car radio clock. Zip. We tried to jump-start the car, but nothing worked. It was also really cold out. I gave up. A few days later, when it was about 20 degrees warmer, the car would start. It has been fine ever since. The whole experience of charging car batteries got me thinking about my own life. I know … strange connection. I grew up with car batteries charging all the time. My dad had a trickle charger set up and seemed to always have a battery plugged into that thing. The key to the trickle charge is that it keeps the charge up in a battery, while a quick charge can really only be done a limited number of times before it wears the battery out. There is definitely some science involved here, but I’m the wrong person to dig into those details. For the sake of this blog post, let’s keep it simple. The trickle charge takes longer but helps the battery last over the long term. The quick charge is fast but destroys the battery over time. In the life of a technical artist in the local church, we all need to be recharged from time to time. I imagine that most of us end up with a quick charge because there really isn’t time for anything else. While you actually get recharged, it comes at a price. Your lifespan as a technical artist is reduced. Most of us don’t feel like we have the luxury to take time for a trickle charge. There’s too much to do. The events come around too frequently in the schedule. When I’m not working, I’m involved in tons of family activities and have no time to stop. There are always seasons when the quick charge is necessary. It’s game time and we need to get up and running as soon as possible. However, many of us start running fast all the time. Our “busy season” is every season. This cannot last. While some things that need to get done at our churches aren’t our decision, I believe that we tend to not speak up when things start to move too fast. When I need time for a trickle charge, that feels like failure. I was having a conversation with the TD of a multi-site church and he was mentioning that his team’s schedule was crazy. When we talked about all the events, each one was connected to a different ministry that didn’t have any idea of anything else going on except their event. You add enough of them up, you’ve got a crazy schedule. We ended talking about this person stepping in to start a church master calendar that production spoke into and that each ministry was aware of when planning their event. Unfortunately, nobody cares if you’re getting time for your trickle charge. They are only worried about their thing. Except that everyone wants you to be at 100% when their event comes around. How can you take control of your schedule and make time to be renewed and refreshed? How can you involve your boss in creating the necessary space for a trickle charge? God did not make you a technical artist in His local church for your to cook yourself on quick charges. Christ wants all of us to live a life over the long haul…trickle charged. If you don’t figure it out, no one else will for you.

Episode 004: Dennis Choy Feb 19, 2018

Dennis Choy is responsible for many production teams across many venues and several campuses at North Coast Church. Todd and Dennis have a great conversation about what success looks like when you've got people of different abilities scattered all over the place. With so many opportunities for things to go wrong, they talk about doing the best with what you have.

church production and the foo fighters Jan 30, 2018

I was looking for something to watch on Netflix the other day and landed on a documentary about Foo Fighters. I didn’t know much about the band, except that Dave Grohl used to be the drummer in Nirvana and that Foo Fighters were one of the only real hard rock bands still out there. The documentary was generally interesting and I learned a few things about music from the ’90s, which seems to be a decade of music that I mostly missed. Near the end of the film, which was made in 2011, they were talking about the album “One by One”, and how they had struggled to record it. Because of the struggle, Dave Grohl basically put it on a shelf. Most people who heard it thought that it wasn’t worth releasing. After several months break, the band decided to come back to the material. After listening to it, they decided to re-record everything. At this point, Dave Grohl said the following (with a few edits for language): “We’d already spent three months and a million dollars on something we threw away. The difference between [the first version of the song] “All My Life” and [the second version of] “All My Life”, was that the first one cost a million dollars and sounded like crap. The second one we did in my basement in half an hour and became the biggest song the band ever had.” I love everything about this statement! Just because you have all the resources in the world, doesn’t mean you can create something worth listening to. The difference between the first recording and the second recording was passion and constraints. Two things that don’t cost anything. Two things that we all have access to. One thing we might wish we had more of and one we wish didn’t exist. I believe that having something you are passionate about is great. I also believe that constraints make every idea better. Stop waiting for enough resources. Harness your passion. Embrace your constraints. Make something awesome.

Episode 003: Andrew Starke Jan 29, 2018

Andrew Starke, the audio director at North Point Community Church, talks with Todd about the journey many of us take to becoming a fully developed tech person. We hear Andrew's own story and his learnings about being defined by more than just the task you are doing for church. We all need to realize that we are more than our last service and that we are more than just a great mix or an amazingly edited video.

Episode 002: Stef Cassetto Dec 18, 2017

Todd talks with Stef Cassetto, the weekend producer at Saddleback Church, about the reality of working through competing values to accomplish a weekend service. What's best for the creative team, isn't always best for the production team, and vice versa. Now add what the pastor needs...and then there's the question of what's best for our church.

Episode 001: Delwin Eiland Dec 18, 2017

As technical artists in the local church, we all have to figure out the relationship with our team and the team on the stage...the band. Todd talks with Delwin Eiland, a worship leader at Willow Creek, about ways to develop this relationship so that our services can be the best possible.

Episode 000: Todd Elliott Dec 18, 2017

Where did FILO come from? Listen. You'll find out.

christmas rehearsals and jesus’ mom Dec 17, 2017

It’s Christmas time! Rehearsals. Christmas parties. Rehearsals.Christmas shopping. Rehearsals. Baking cookies. Did I mention rehearsals? Initially, when starting to write an email to the FILO tribe, I wanted to suggest that you should sign up for FILO2018 using your leftover budget money from 2017...that is if you haven’t already spent it on those extra Christmas lights for the set. But then I started thinking about all the work that is going on by technical artists all over the world, and how tired many of us are. All while we’re doing some of the most important work of the year. For most of our churches, Christmas is a time when those who wouldn’t normally be at church are coming through our doors. As a result, there is a lot of pressure to make things amazing for these new people. We want to be at our best, but often we are so drained. We don’t stand a chance. Just like the Apple watch reminds us to “breathe”, I would recommend something similar. Stop and remember why you decided to get involved doing production in the local church in the first place. Stop and remember that God came in the form of a man to set you free. Not just the new people coming through the door. Stop and remember that God wants to be continually making you new. Not to have you driven into the ground just for the sake of Christmas.What you do is vitally important to the body of Christ that you are a part of. Nail it! Do your best! Embrace being “First In, Last Out” because that’s who God created you to be! I was reading Mary’s song this morning, found in Luke chapter 1. Here is someone who God chose to use in an unlikely way. May your perspective and your prayer this Christmas season be similar to hers. Cheering you on in the adventures of this next week,Todd

never say no (don’t say yes either) Sep 24, 2017

As tech people, we are often asked to do crazy stuff by our creative counterparts. As crazy as these ideas might seem, the balance between creative ideas and technical realities is the name of the game. We are the executors of ideas. They imagine ideas that need to be executed. Without each other, nothing happens. Ideas without execution are just ideas. Execution without ideas is…probably nothing. However, just because someone has an idea doesn’t mean it should automatically be done. And just because we don’t think it can be done, doesn’t mean we get to say no. Never Say No As someone who can feel overworked and overwhelmed, saying no can be an automatic response. We don’t need to think about it, it just can’t be done! However, original ideas are precious gifts. They typically aren’t laying around waiting to be used. They are conceived of in the minds of creative people who are trying to help lead our congregations into new thoughts and ideas about who God is and how we relate to Him. For us to knee jerk to “no” isn’t fair to them. I learned this in so many difficult ways, but I did figure out that I needed to engage my creative team in a way that we could get to the heart of the idea and brainstorm together how we could accomplish the intent of the idea. Instead of thinking about it in terms of how we could accomplish it with our current resources or the time available to us, do we need to expand the parameters to accomplish the idea? Or maybe we need to shrink the idea to fit our resources. If “no” is the answer, we should arrive at it together; trusting each other to come up with the best answer. (don’t say yes either) I want to be a team player. Who doesn’t? But you’re thinking…if you don’t want me to say no, then you’re just expecting me to say yes to everything. To quote Dwight Shrute, “False". Ideas are precious…great. But just because someone has an idea, doesn’t make it worthy of your team’s time and resources. I noticed early in my career that I discounted the importance of my time. It was not a resource that I considered legitimate when I figured out whether an idea was worth doing. I’m the doer, so let’s go. The reality is that if we want to have a successful tech ministry, we need to have priorities and values that drive our decisions. Without them, we tend to run from one fire to another trying to put them out. As a result, I would argue that we aren’t achieving all that our churches need. Without intentionality, our technical arts ministries just become the clean-up crew for every last-minute idea. In a similar way to not saying “no”, “yes” needs to come from a mutual agreement. Our creative counterparts need to understand what they are asking for. We need to engage them in the conversation about whether it is a good idea or not, given our current circumstances. Engaging our creative friends in helping us figure out if we can accomplish an idea can be a vulnerable place. In some ways, it feels like an admission that I can’t get it all done, which is what I like to think is possible. If I can’t do it all, where do gain my significance? Ouch. Not saying no and not saying yes requires a trusting relationship with the people who are coming up with the ideas. Without that, we aren’t working together the way God intended the body of Christ to work.

good enough Jan 13, 2017

In the world of church production, the phrase “Good Enough” is used far too often, and even typing it, it sends chills up my spine. There are some people that say it out of ignorance of what it really takes to make things happen. They will generally never stop saying it. Then there are some people that know better and should never say it. The reason it makes my skin crawl is that I give in to laziness when I say the phrase "good enough”. If you’ve ever worked with me before, you might be thinking that I’m contradicting myself. I know that I’ve said that something was good enough before. I’m pretty sure I said it a few times over this past Christmas. There are certain situations that require the use of the phrase, but only after certain criteria have been met. For those of you in the perfectionistic category, you will struggle to ever agree that something is “good enough”, but it is a skill that we all must learn how to say at the right moments. If you’ve ever read Seth Godin’s blog (and if you don’t, you should start), he talks a lot about shipping your product, whatever it might be. There always comes a point where something has to be good enough so that people can start experiencing what you’ve done. If you never get there, nothing really ever gets accomplished. So how do we know when something is “good enough”? When All Your Resources Are Exhausted Have you used everything you have to the fullest? Does your budget fully support the ideas that you are trying to accomplish? Have you leveraged every hour and each volunteer to accomplish the task? If you have tried everything at your disposal and worked as hard as you can, guess what? It’s good enough. Since for most of us, our personal time doesn’t always seem to count as a resource, we tend to overdo it in that category. But if it can be better by staying up all night, why wouldn’t I do that? I’m definitely in the camp of doing whatever it takes to make something happen, but you can’t always pull all-nighters to get something done, or else you’ll fry yourself. In a debrief after a Saturday night service, if there are some suggested changes, I always weigh them against how long it is going to take vs. how much are people going to notice. Sometimes it makes sense to stay all night to make changes. Sometimes, it isn’t even worth staying an extra hour. Kay Factor This was a phrase I learned from one of my mentors, Marty O’Connor. When he was doing production work at Willow Creek in the ’80s and ’90s, he would often ask himself if spending extra time or money on something would be noticed by his wife, Kay. If she couldn’t tell the difference, then it was good enough. If adding one more spinning gobo will take an extra hour, but nobody will really ever notice, it might be worth not doing. If the spinning gobo isn’t transitioning nicely to the next cue, now that’s something to stay an extra hour to fix, because Kay would definitely notice that. Letting Go of Creativity It seems to me that it is easier for us to get caught up in making something cool, and lose sight of hitting the basics and calling it good. For many technical artists that I know, we want to help create moments, which tend to take more time to do. I’m not suggesting we don’t work hard at those, but I am suggesting that we need to put that time into the context of everything else going on. Sometimes it needs to be “good enough”, so that you can have more time with your family or spend that time developing more volunteers. The basics of production can never be just “good enough”. We need to nail them. When it comes to enhancing a moment or pouring your creativity into something extra, we will eventually get to a place where it has to be good enough. Profitable In the church world, profitability isn’t really a thing. Our successes are measured differently. However, in the real world of production, they come to the “good enough” place all the time,

bringing hope through technology Oct 25, 2016

I met with a couple of technical artists the other day, to talk about their worship space and figure out ways we could make it better. Even though they had a long way to go, they were doing the best they could with what they had. It was excellent. For the most part, this was a scene I’ve been a part of many times. However, in this particular instance, there was one major difference: their church existed in prison. Angola Federal Penitentiary to be specific. When you layer that into the equation, what they’re doing is amazing! Here were a couple of technical artists, just like me…interested in the best gear for the job, wanting to do excellent work, passionate about the local church. However, the number of obstacles that they have to deal with are far greater than any I can remember coming up against. This experience helped me realize a couple of things. What we get to do as technical artists in the local church is helping change people’s lives. Whether they are in your church, my church, or one of the 29 churches at Angola, what we do helps to facilitate the preaching of God’s word. We are a part of bringing hope to people. Seeing these men passionate about reaching their fellow inmates, really made me think about how I approach my own role. Am I that passionate? How connected am I to the idea of bringing hope to people through my role as a technical artist? The other thing I noticed is that the phrase “the local church is the hope of the world” is so true. It isn’t just true in my town, but it is true everywhere. God designed the body of Christ to provide the hope of Christ to this world, and that is nowhere more evident than in the prison camp chapels at Angola Prison. In a place that has the potential to be the most devoid of hope, these men are bringing the hope of Christ to thousands of people in some of the most hopeless situations. Maybe one more thing…these were some of the most joy-filled tech people I’ve ever had the pleasure to be around. They have less gear, fewer resources, more red tape, less hope than I can even fathom and yet they are exhibiting more fruit of the spirit than most tech people I know put together. Given my circumstances, how much joy am I exuding? You?

reverend TD Sep 16, 2016

"I'm always surprised how pastoral being a church TD is!" This is a text I got from one of my friends who is a technical artist in the local church. It couldn’t be more true…in two ways: That being a TD is pastoral and how surprised we are by it. For many of us, we love the gear. We totally geek out on the newest plug-in or some new set design. It is how God made us. We wouldn’t be technical artists without loving this stuff. We wouldn’t be hired at TD’s if we didn’t. However, to thrive as a TD in the local church, we have to look past the gear to the people, the people that make it all happen…volunteers. At almost every church I’ve been involved in or have been to, the whole thing would fall apart without volunteers; people who love technology and that have realized that God made them specifically to fill a role in their local church. I have a theory that many people decide to volunteer because they love the stuff. They love the gear and getting the chance to use it. After a while, they stop coming because the gear is cool. After they’ve used it for a while, that doesn’t matter as much to them. What keeps people coming back is the relationships they have with other team members and the TD. Whether we like it or not, your job as TD just became about relationships. OK, maybe not just, but maybe it's a new revelation to you. If you’re not spending time building into the people on the team, the team won’t last very long. Building into the team means asking them how things are going…and caring about the answer. Building into the team means providing vision to them for the role that production plays in our services. Building into the team means gathering the team to go bowling. If the idea of being a TD in the local church appeals to you, this is what 51% of your job is. If you’re just a pastor, then the tech stuff will suffer, and that’s what you’re there for. In my opinion, the role of TD in the local church is one of the most difficult jobs in the local church. It requires that the technology works perfectly, AND that you are developing people along the way. Many times these things are in conflict with each other. It is up to each of us to figure out the balance between making sure the gear is working and that people are cared for. There isn’t a right answer to this, but it is a pendulum that needs to swing back and forth depending on the needs of the moment. But, if you can pour into people, then you can start building something. If all you do is the gear then you’ll be alone running around trying to keep up with it all. Eventually, you will burn out, and I’m pretty sure that God never wanted that when he created you for the technical arts. If you’re a TD in the local church, embrace your pastor-ness. It will keep you in the game. It will keep your team in the game. It is what the local church needs.

making time for the future Jun 09, 2016

There is so much work to do! Who's with me? New ideas from creative types tend to get in the way of all the work already on my giant list of “To do’s”! Things keep breaking, which means the list keeps getting longer all by itself. When the pile of work that needs to get done is so overwhelming, it is easy to lose sight of what we should be doing; in order to become what we want our team, our ministry, or our church to be. The only way we don’t get caught in a cycle of catching up and digging out from under the pile is to make time for something else. And not just whatever anything else, but strategic something else. For you to get a future that is worth getting to, you have to have a good idea of what you want the future to look like. What do you want your life to look like? What do you want your team to be about? What would a successful year look like? Without a picture of the future, how do you know what to work on? How will you know what matters and what doesn’t? And without making time for thinking about these things, how will you figure this stuff out? If you don’t make the time, your time will get eaten by the immediate and urgent. Bill Hybels has a great statement about our schedules that I love: "If you don’t change your schedule, you’ll be the same person you’ve always been." We need to think of our time strategically so that we’re not just running around responding to the emergencies around us. While we are taking care of the urgent, all the things that will help make our teams better and our ministry more effective will get dropped to the side, undone. Make time, so that you can respond in a way that gets you and your team to the finish line that you’ve determined. Instead of never getting a finish line, since there isn’t one in a hamster wheel.

what limits tomorrow? May 03, 2016

History Nerd alert! I just finished watching “The Roosevelts” on Netflix. It is the story of the Roosevelt family, told through the lives of Theodore, Franklin, and Mrs. Roosevelt, whose maiden name was Roosevelt, by the way. They were fifth cousins, so no big deal. It was a fascinating story, but the thing that stood out to me was something that Franklin Roosevelt said during his presidency and is now printed on his grave: "The only limit to a realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today." As a tech person working in the local church, I don’t want to believe that this is a real statement and it hits a little too close to home. When I think about all the things I wish were better; gear, people, budgets, leadership, etc, I want to think that others are keeping them from moving forward. What I imagine about them isn’t really important. Yet, if FDR’s quote is true, what doubts of today are holding back what it could be like tomorrow? When it comes to team dynamics, have I given up on someone? Do I question whether someone wants to volunteer or not? Have I stopped speaking up in meetings because I’m afraid of what people might think? Or do I overreact in meetings out of fear because I don’t want to get burned again? Have I stopped dreaming about the new things we can do with newer technology because someone always says we don’t have enough money, so why bother? More often than not, I meet technical artists in the local church who have become cynical. And it isn’t a pretty sight. The doubts of today have caught up with them. The doubts of today have become the lens that they view everything through. The doubts of today have become the realized tomorrow. Where does tomorrow limit out for you? What fears, worries, or doubts of today are keeping your capacity unnecessarily low? What fears have you given in to? How have your fears of today shaped your current reality?

you can handle it! Apr 12, 2016

There are times when I get annoyed by people complaining about how early the call time is. Or how late a rehearsal goes. Not to feed into too much of a stereotype, but most of the people I’m thinking about aren’t tech people. For me, getting there in enough time to make sure everything is ready is just part of the deal of doing weekend services. Likewise, staying late is a part of the bargain. If we want to do something well, we shouldn’t leave until it is done right. I was reading in the new testament the other day, and I came across the passage where Paul talks about God not putting us in situations we couldn’t handle. 1 Cor 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." I used to associate this verse with the idea of adversity, temptation, or tough situations. This most recent time, it struck me in an altogether different way. If you’ve read my blog posts or heard me speak or know me at all, you know that I’m very passionate about the fact that technical artists are created uniquely, unlike anyone else. Not only that, but we should embrace it, even celebrate it. Putting 1 Cor 10:13 into this context takes on a different meaning. God created you to be someone and something that only you can handle. He didn’t put you in a situation that you couldn’t handle. He put you in a situation he designed you to be able to handle with his help. One that you were made for. The body of Christ is made up of a vast collection of gifted people; all different from each other; all designed for the situations each one of us finds ourselves in. God didn’t design a teaching pastor to arrive early to make sure all the lighting cues are accurate. That would not be a situation they could handle; just like sitting at Starbucks preparing a message would not be a situation many of us could handle. Next time you are discouraged by being the last one out of the building or frustrated that no one else cares to arrive early, remember that if everyone could handle being a tech person, God would have designed us all as tech people. Instead, in His wisdom, He designed us all for specific situations, that only we could handle. Be thankful that God has put you in a situation that you can thrive in and was designed for.

pre-flight check Apr 06, 2016

I was getting for a flight to Germany recently, and I happen to be sitting in the airport right next to the plane I was about to get on. While I was sitting there, I noticed the pilot walking around, checking various systems around the plane. As a passenger on that plane, it made me feel great about getting on it and putting my life in the hands of that pilot. Then I started thinking about the pilot. How many times has he done the exact same walk around the plane? He seemed a little older than me, so I’m guessing he’d been doing it for 20+ years. The same walk. Looking at the same pieces of gear. Over. And over. And over again. Regardless of how many times he has done that walk, he continues to do his best, because he knows that lives depend on it. It doesn’t hurt that his life depends on it also, but that also works to my advantage. OK, so the production work I do generally doesn’t involve having hundreds of people’s lives in my hands, but I think there’s a lot to learn here. How many times should I watch a new video to make sure it plays correctly? Every time. How many times should I do a line check prior to the band arriving to make sure everything is plugged in properly? All the time. How many times should I review my lighting cues to make sure there aren’t any distracting transitions? Each. And. Every. One. Always. While there are parts of doing production that can be dangerous, for the most part leveraging technology for the local church is about creating a distraction-free environment. If we don’t nail it, nobody dies. However, if we don’t nail it, technology isn’t transparent, letting people focus on the content. In my opinion, if people realize that technology is involved, we aren’t doing our best. If they are distracted by production and we haven’t gone through our pre-flight checklist, then we definitely aren’t doing our job. Regardless of how many times I need to check something, I need to. We have been entrusted with people’s time. They don’t have to come to church. They don’t have to come to our church. I know that most people don’t attend church based on the production values of the church, but if we aren’t creating an environment where people can focus on the content of the Gospel, why would they stick around?

when there’s no light at the end of the tunnel Mar 30, 2016

I’m working with some great people right now that are some of the hardest working people I know. Super responsible. Striving for excellence in every area. Kicking butt and taking names. Unfortunately, they are all overworked. System upgrades, routine maintenance, volunteer recruiting, set changes…the list could go on forever. And it tends to. There is no end in sight. Almost every tech person I’ve ever met, looks at this pile of work and sucks it up, and keeps moving forward. That is until they crash and burn. I think it is probably pretty universal, that when you can see light at the end of the tunnel, most of us can push through to get something done. The difficult part is when there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Or maybe worse still, the tunnel has no end. And maybe even worse, you’re surrounded by people who keep telling you it will let up any moment. So what do you do in this situation? Let yourself off the hook. For me, I have to be really honest with myself and realize that I can’t do everything. Over the years, I’ve had to sit down and figure out what I can reasonably accomplish in the time I have. After that, I need to let it go. Easy, right. Communicate what can be accomplished. Once I’ve figured out what I can accomplish in a normal week, I need to tell my boss. Most people have no idea how you spend your time. Educate them. Give them a glimpse of how you spend each hour of your week. Help them see how insane it can be. Plan for light at the end of the tunnel. Figure out when the crazy times will be. Work yourself up to them. For the non-crazy times, make sure you create space to catch your breath. If you don’t figure it out, nobody else will. With your boss's help, don’t let events get planned on certain days during that time. Make sure there isn’t a women’s conference piled on top of a men’s conference, on top of a children’s conference, on top of a…you get the idea. This type of planning can’t happen in a vacuum. You must have your leadership on board with this idea. And you can’t have your leadership on board until you’ve figured out what you can accomplish and you’ve talked to them on a regular basis about the realities of how much it takes to get work done. Life is a series of tunnels, not one long tunnel. If you are a leader of people, it is important to not just keep your people in the tunnel all the time. They need to see daylight. To get the most from your people, they need space to think and dream. They need to not always be reacting. They even need a say in which tunnel we are going to dig and which ones we are going to stay out of. To get the most from your teams, they can’t just stay underground forever. They need breaks. Sure, they need to work hard too. But if all they ever do is work hard, eventually, they will get worn out and that will be the end. They will force the end of the tunnel. Working really hard with no let up is a recipe for failure. You'll never make it to the end of the tunnel. I want to be a part of a team and a part of a work environment where we work hard, but then can have light at the end of the tunnel from time to time.

choice and discipline Mar 23, 2016

Having worked at Willow Creek for over 10 years, I would often talk to people who were visiting from other churches. As I was giving people tours of the production spaces, I would often get comments about how “easy” it must be to do production at Willow, since we had everything we could ever want. While being far from true, I was never quite sure how to respond. Now that I’ve been gone for some time, and spent more time with other churches, and seeing how they do production, I think I have something to say. I listen to audiobooks a lot in the car, and I was just re-listening to “Good to Great” by Jim Collins, and this statement really resonated with me. "Greatness is not a function of circumstance, but of choice and discipline.” - Jim Collins This is the response I have been searching for. For me, it has never mattered if there were 100 people in a room or 10,000. I’m going to handle my responsibility the same. I’m going to come in early to make sure everything is checked and working before everyone gets there. I’m going to be concerned with preventing audio feedback regardless of the event, size, or who is in attendance. When I moved from Kensington Community Church to Willow Creek, someone asked me what it was like to do productions in such a large room. It hadn’t even crossed my mind. The goal is to do great work. Period. A big difference I see between how Willow Creek does production and churches that are struggling with production is the second half of Jim Collin’s statement: choice and discipline. This is about setting expectations for how we want the production to go; making the choice to set up effective processes for getting results, then having the discipline to keep doing the process week after week. A few weekends ago, there was a portion of the service that I was working on that required lots of work to get right. I think we talked through a particular transition 4 or 5 times, then during our run-through, we walked through it another 4 or 5 times. At a certain point, I felt like the volunteers were looking at me like “Can you please go away?” We were all a little frustrated with each other. However, in the end, we nailed it and that moment went flawlessly every time. Because we chose to hold ourselves to a high standard, then had the discipline to work it until we got it right, we experienced a little piece of greatness that morning. Greatness in production isn’t something that just happens, it is a choice, that takes massive amounts of discipline to follow through on. Your church deserves it.

it never hurts to ask Mar 16, 2016

My wife used to work for a guy who would always ask the question “What can you do for me?” The context was generally in a situation where he was paying for a service…a rental car, hotel room, plane ticket, you get the idea. It would usually make me uncomfortable when he would do it, but he said the worst they can say to him is “no”, which means he is paying the listed price for the service, which he was already prepared to do. The best thing that could happen is that he gets a little something extra. The other day, I thought I’d give it a try...twice. The first time, the person behind the counter was helpful, but there was nothing they could do for me. The second time, in a totally different situation, I scored all kinds of extra goodies. What does this have to do with anything? Maybe a couple of things…at least it did for me at the moment. When I’m working with creative artists to pull off a service, there are many times that someone’s idea can’t totally be done the way they are asking, or at least if it were changed slightly, it would be way easier. It might even be more effective. Over the years, there are so many examples of me not asking or searching for alternate options at this moment. The thought didn’t even cross my mind to at least explore the possibilities beyond the initial idea. The worst that can happen is that we execute the idea in the original way it was proposed, which I would have had to figure out if I hadn’t asked. The best that could happen is that we come up with something way better; a solution that we worked on together and that we can be unified as a team while doing. If asking means that it has the potential to be amazing, what is keeping me from asking? The second observation I took away from my experience is that I don’t generally ask God “What can you do for me?” It feels presumptive. And God already has a plan - so why would I bother? After all, He knows how everything is going to go down, so I’m not even going to think about asking. The thing I learned from my simple initial experience of asking “What can you do for me?” is that it led to a nice conversation and a chance to connect with another person. The situation I was asking about didn’t change, but it felt great to at least try. So many times I don’t ask God because I assume what I’m asking for isn’t realistic or isn’t worth asking about. When I asked the question for the second time, the response I received was the polar opposite. I put myself out there and asked, and I got what I asked for and then some. I’m pretty sure the second person I asked the question to wasn’t spending all day thinking about making sure I got great service and then all the extra stuff she threw in. She gave me those things because I was willing to ask. What if God had a few things up his sleeve that he is just waiting for us to ask him for? I think the second person even had a great time surprising me. It seemed like she got a ton of joy out of the experience. To give someone the chance to bless you, or to give God an opportunity to willingly give you the things you ask for, can have an amazing outcome not only for you but also for the other person. Why not ask the question? Why not take a risk and see what happens? Whether it is with your co-workers or with God, you never know when someone is going to say yes. It can’t hurt to ask.

more than troubleshooting Mar 09, 2016

The other day, I had to put my troubleshooting skills to the test. I have to say that it is one of my favorite parts about being involved in production. Having a problem and needing to solve it. I don’t know that I love the pressure of a service about to start while I’m trying to figure something out, but there’s something about the adrenaline and the satisfaction of a successful conclusion. I don’t think I’m alone in this aspect of being a technical artist in the local church. Many people I know love pulling off seemingly impossible tasks or coming to the rescue at the last moment, solving a problem only we know how to solve. This is essential to the role we’ve taken on, but it is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to being the tech person our churches need us to be. Here are just a few unrelated thoughts I’ve been having about what it means to be successful as a technical artist in the church or anywhere else. Develop People You can know all the gear in the world, but if you don’t know how to develop others, you will only go so far. If you are only thinking about the task in front of you, you aren’t looking into the future on how to expand the capacity of your team. For most in the church production space, what our church needs from us can’t get done without the help of volunteers, and volunteers can’t help if they haven’t been trained in a skill, or given vision for how production can help advance the mission of the church. When Something Goes Wrong, Communicate This is a lesson I learned a long time ago and it is something I see get missed by most tech people. When there is feedback or the lyrics are slow or a light goes out, these are all great opportunities to build trust with your leadership. It seems counter-intuitive, but if you are the first one to bring up how we missed that graphic and we’ll fix it for the next service, your leaders know that you realized there was a problem and you have a solution so that it doesn’t happen again. If your senior pastor needs to point out that something went wrong, he is wondering if you noticed or even care. If you acknowledge a mistake first, you are letting people know that you know it wasn’t right. Acknowledging isn’t enough, you need to have a plan for how it won’t happen again. This is the language of leaders. Be Prepared The Boy Scouts have really helped me on this one, so I can’t take full credit. Being prepared is one of the key ways to advance production wherever you are. If you aren’t ready for rehearsal, there is only so much that the people on stage can do to make the service or performance good. If production isn’t ready, it doesn’t matter how prepared other people are because the graphics aren’t correct or the mix is bad or the lighting is distracting. There is a reason that most touring concerts take time to rehearse ahead of time to get all the cues down and figure out what needs to be on the screens when. They do it so that people who bought a ticket have a great experience. In the church, when you’re dealing with changing content on a week-to-week basis, this is a little unrealistic. But what would it look like for us to be better prepared for next weekend’s service? Isn’t the content of our services worth us being fully ready for rehearsals to start? When I think about all of the skills required to be a technical director in the local church, it goes far beyond the details of audio, video, and lighting. While these are the foundations for being successful in production, developing people, communicating with leaders, and being prepared are what separate out average production from excellence.

leadership and the battle of waterloo Mar 02, 2016

I’m pretty sure you’ve figured out by now that I love history. I can’t get enough of it! There are so many lessons from the events of the past that can be learned from and I like thinking about ways to apply these lessons to my own situation. I just finished reading an account of the battle of Waterloo, the defining battle between Britain and France to close out the Napoleonic Era Wars. There are a bunch of great leadership lessons in the whole scope of this part of history, that could probably fill blog entry after blog entry. For the purposes of this blog, we are going to look at just one. In 1815, the musket was still by far the weapon of choice for the infantry. With luck, they could fire 3 shots in a minute. That’s during perfect conditions. The other big challenge with muskets is they were highly inaccurate. The further away you get from your target, the more likely it was that you were going to miss your target. Not that war is ever pretty, but this slow rate of fire made it very ugly for the people trying to stay alive. Often times you had to wait until the enemy was very close before you fired to make sure you actually hit something. Then they were right on top of you, which meant you got your bayonet ready and charged ahead. Frankly, I can’t even imagine it. During some of these battles, it could be very easy for officers to stay back and let their men do all the work. The soldiers in the trenches knew which officers had their back and which didn’t. Here’s a great excerpt from the book I just read: Officers were expected to lead by example. Rifleman Costello, of the 95th, said the troops divided officers into two classes, the ‘come on’ and the ‘go on.’ “And with us,” he said, ”the latter were exceedingly few in numbers”. Rifleman Plunket once told an officer, “The words ‘go on’ don’t befit a leader, Sir." The Duke of Wellington, who lead the Allies to a successful victory over the French always seemed to be where the action was, leading his men by example. Did that mean that he was doing front-line work? No. It did mean that he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, also no. For me personally, this is a really difficult line to find. How do you make your team feel like you are in it with them, and not get buried by the details and miss the big picture that all leaders need to pay attention to? ‘Come on’ implies that you are leading the charge, and fortunately, in our case, it generally isn’t to fill the breach. If you are starting a new initiative, are you willing to do what it takes to set an example for your people? If some hard work needs to be done, are you willing to jump in and stay until it gets done? ‘Go on’ suggests that you can’t be bothered. It implies that you are above what needs to be done. ‘Go on’ makes me wonder if you are committed to what we are doing…like you are hanging back to see what happens. Maybe so you can blame the failure on someone else, or perhaps so you can take the credit if it succeeds. In the example of the battle of Waterloo, a classic example of ‘go on’ was William, Prince of Orange of the Netherlands. Wellington was forced to put him in charge of many of his troops, and the prince ended up sending many of his men to their death. He was at the back telling them to ‘go on’ and attack the French, making poor decisions and not thinking of his people but only his only glory. How hard can it be, just go get ‘em! The only thing that eventually stopped the slaughter of the Prince of Orange’s men was the Slender Billy getting shot and taken off the battlefield.

what might go wrong Feb 24, 2016

I just had a conversation with my friend and fellow technical artist Joy about an event coming up that we are both working on. She asked me what I was looking forward to most about it. My first thought was all the things that I’m worried about that could go wrong. How unfortunate, but how true. Anytime a big event is coming up, I keep wondering what I have forgotten and who is going to pay the price for my mistakes. Not only that - but what is going to happen that I can’t plan for? Those things that no one has control over. I don’t know about you, but I feel super responsible for things going well. Whether they are in my control or not. If it has anything to do with production, I feel responsible. So leading up to any event, my job is to think about what might go wrong and come up with plans to handle the unknown. The unknown. It is the scariest part of doing a production. For our regular weekend services, we are basically repeating the basic template each week. For stuff like Christmas or Easter or a youth retreat or VBS, that’s when things start getting a little bit scary. The real challenge for me is to embrace the unknown and not let it ruin my experience. There are a ton of things that will go really well, and there will be some things that don’t go well. I need to embrace all of it. To celebrate the amazing things. And when the unexpected happens, do my best and go after a solution. If you’ve survived any length of time as a technical artist, especially in the local church, you have had to figure out things on the fly. You’ve had to learn to think quickly and stay calm at the same time. God made us this way; to help solve problems, to react to the unknown, the response to the unexpected. If Joy were to ask me the question again, I think my answer would be that I’m looking forward to how our team will respond to each moment; the planned and the unplanned. And that I am embracing the unknown and can’t wait to see what it is. One thing’s for sure, I’m not going to let the fear of the unknown ruin my expectations of all the good that will happen. Bring it on!

there will be pain Jan 24, 2016

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Job 5:7 “As the sparks fly upward, man is born to trouble." Now that I see it in writing, it seems kind of depressing; my favorite verse is about how inevitable trouble is. I like to think of it as being realistic. There will be pain. I can choose it or it can happen to me...the pain of regret.

the weekend after christmas Dec 27, 2015

The worst. Right? You’ve just given everything you have to the giant production called Christmas Eve services, and now it’s the weekend again. Give me a break! As I was reflecting on this familiar feeling, it dawned on me that church production people everywhere are in the same boat here. Maybe your church canceled Saturday services, but almost everyone has something on Sunday. As you drag yourself in to get ready for another rehearsal for another service, here’s something to think about... All of us were a part of sharing the gospel with millions of people this past week. Millions! As our churches filled up with people who wouldn’t normally come to church on a normal weekend, we help to facilitate the message of Christ to be taught and heard for maybe the first time. The work you did, helped countless people forget that technology was involved at all, and was able to focus on the content of our services. The countless hours of preparation; the long list of things you neglected in December; the sacrifice your family gave in order for you to give something extra for your church congregation…all of these things helped contribute to people connecting with God in new ways. As you enter into the building for the first time after all those Christmas Eve services, remember that God created you to be the first one in and the last one out. Without you, many of those moments that people had with God wouldn’t exist. God has chosen you and made you uniquely for the purpose of creating an environment for Him to move in people’s lives. Well done. Now go watch Episode VII and you aren’t completely exhausted. Make it 3D IMAX while you’re at it. You’ve earned it.

you frustrate me, and that’s ok Nov 12, 2015

I had the privilege to speak at the Tech Arts Conferenz in Karlsruhe Germany. There were about 600 creative and technical artists gathered together to learn from each other and to be inspired to keep doing ministry at our local churches. As I was standing up on the stage having each word I was speaking being translated into German, I was really struck by all the different types of people in the room. I’m used to speaking to technical artists almost exclusively, but here I needed to broaden my audience to include all the people who help make our services happen. I’m amazed at how frustrating it can be to work with people not like us, yet we can’t really do anything without each other. And without our differences, we would just sit and do production without any content, or we’d be performing our content in a quiet dark room. In that moment on stage, I was reminded of how beautiful it is for each of us to be different and to fill a different role in the body of Christ. We are all uniquely imagined by a loving God to become a key component in what he wants to do in our local church. The challenge is to celebrate the fact that he has done the same for the people you are serving with also. The people that think differently than you, were designed that way. The people that will never think about the details of their idea were designed to have the idea, not to figure it out. He designed someone else for that…maybe you. As I see us all trying to work together to pull off a church service, there are so many opportunities for frustration. So many chances to wish people were more like you. There are also many chances to learn from each other. Many chances to love each other. More than many chances to have grace for someone else. Many chances to lean into how God made you to be, without frustration, but with celebration. Celebrating that your gifts were made to compliment those around you for the greater good. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.1 Cor. 12:7-11

will you join the barricade? Aug 25, 2015

For some reason, I’ve been thinking about the barricade scene from Les Misérables. You know, when the guy climbs to the top of the pile of crap and waves a giant flag. Part of me is thinking, “Are you crazy?! You’re going to get shot!”. The other part of me feels like I wish I had the courage to stand up for something I believe in that much, that I’m willing to stand up and wave a flag on a barricade for it. The reality is that we do have something we should be standing up and waving a flag for…I know you’re all thinking “Jesus”, cause that’s always the right answer. But I’m imagining something more specific. We have all been made specifically to fit into the Body of Christ somewhere, and with that place in the body comes a responsibility to care about our thing the most…more than anyone else. I’m a production person in the local church, so the thing I care most about is how we use technology to make our churches more effective. If you’re a worship leader, you’re designed to help bring people to a place where they are worshiping our God. I meet a lot of people who feel misunderstood by those around them, by the leadership team at their church. They end up spending significant amounts of time wishing that other people cared about their thing as much as they do; or that others understood how things could be so much better. At the foundation, if your senior leaders don’t care about leveraging technology or whatever you're passionate about, then there’s only so far you can take it. But if you are a part of that church, no one is going to care about technology the way you do…no one is going to care about the band arrangement like you do…no one is going to care about being intentional with the brand of your church like you do. While oftentimes it might feel like there is overwhelming opposition to your ideas, the reality is that everyone should be trying to make our churches more effective, which means we should all be on the same side of the barricade, fighting with and for each other. Even if this isn’t always the case, typically no one is shooting at you while you stand up and wave your flag. Having the courage to stand up, sometimes alone, isn’t easy. But things will not change for the better if someone isn’t willing to stand up and lead the charge. Whether it's for a better process, or it's for better transitions, or it's for greater emphasis on caring for the poor; if it is something you care about, do something about it. If other people already cared about it, something would have been done already. God gave you a vision for what something could be. Are you willing to stand up on a barricade and wave a flag about it?

a city planners guide to church Aug 19, 2015

I live in Chicago. OK, if you’re from Chicago, I basically live in Iowa, but if you aren’t from here, I live in Chicago. One of the things I love about this city is the architecture and its history. The home of the first skyscraper. Frank Lloyd Wright. The International School and Mies van der Rohe. One of the central characters in the Chicago architecture drama is Daniel Burnham. He was influential in rebuilding the city after the fire in 1871. Then he almost single-handedly pulled off the Chicago world’s fair in 1893. And if that wasn’t enough, in 1909 he developed a plan for the city of Chicago that people still fight over today. Most famously, Daniel Burnham said: "Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably will not themselves be realized." There’s definitely a blog post or article somewhere in this quote, but I ran across another one of his statements that caught my attention: "Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty." So what if “watchword” and “beacon” aren’t words that we use every day, I love this statement for capturing the essence of the tension that exists between creativity and execution. Beauty cannot be achieved without a hyper-focus on the details to execute an idea. But if you’re only paying attention to the details, you need to be reminded that the goal is beauty. When I think about Daniel Burnham creating beauty through architecture, none of that would be possible without the massive volume of details that needed to be done exactly correctly. Without order, none of his buildings would be able to support themselves. Because so much energy was devoted to minutiae, his buildings are still standing 100+ years later for us to enjoy their beauty. For some of us, we want beauty without having to spend time on the order. We want to pour our resources into something beautiful but aren’t as interested in the infrastructure necessary to support the beauty. I’ve noticed that in the local church, some are frustrated by the necessities of order, frustrated by the people who only think about order. And on the other side, the people who love contributing to the structure behind the beauty tend to lose sight of what all the details are really for; that they aren’t the goal, but the means to the end. As someone who has spent a good deal of time on the "watchword order” side of this, I have to remind myself constantly that order isn’t the end goal. However, I have spent plenty of time wishing the beauty people would take their foot off the gas and let us catch up. I’ve also spent some time on the “beacon beauty” end of things, and it is easy to see how the end result can discount the need to take care of the details along the way. It is so difficult to come up with the beauty idea in the first place, that the thought of changing it so that details happen, can be overwhelming. Over the years, I’ve been in many conversations with both groups of people. On both sides of this equation, there are people wishing that others would change and become more like them. Unfortunately, if that happened, nothing would get done. We need to do both, and we need to do both well. As Andy Stanley would say, this is a tension to manage, and it requires leadership. Not just leadership on one side or the other, but leadership that takes the whole thing into account. Leadership has the larger view and can determine when we are in beauty mode or order mode. At any given moment, where do our limited resources need to be focused? If order is the most important thing, an idea can become so bloated with the details that it becomes unrecognizable. If order wins, our services become middle of the road and ineffective. Yet if we abandon order in favor of an idea, we end up creating something that won’t last. Or worse, destroying lives in the wake of our ideas. So what do we do? I think Daniel Burnham said it best: "Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty."

church production lessons from the wright brothers Jul 10, 2015

I just finished reading "The Wright Brothers” by David McCullough. What a great story of hard work and perseverance.Also of what can be accomplished regardless of the resources at your disposal. At a certain point in the book, Mr. McCullough notes that at the same time the Wright Brothers were solving the challenges of flight, the head of the Smithsonian was also interested in the question of man flying. To accomplish one powered flight experiment, Mr. Langley had access to $50,000 from Congress, $20,000 of his own money, and $20,000 from a friend. The result? A plane folded in half after takeoff and fell into the Potomac River. Several hundred miles away, Wilbur and Orville were flying successfully for about $1,000 of their own money. And not just for that one experiment, for all their experiments from 1900-1905. All the gliders, the wind tunnels, the custom fabricated aluminum engines. All of it, for a little over 1% of the amount spent by the fully funded group. This got me thinking about church production…like most things do. Having resources is great. I worked at Willow Creek Church for over 10 years and know that having the proper resources go a long way in getting things done. I believe there is also a downside to having very few resource limitations. For the Wright Brothers, it forced them to do a couple of things that we can all learn from. creative problem solving With fewer resources, Will & Orv were forced to solve complex problems with simple solutions. With little funding, they had to come up with ideas that could be built in their bicycle shop. When I worked at a church that met in a high school, not only did we not have a ton of money, we had very little time to get things set up and torn down. As a result, one of the defining characteristics of our solutions is that everything had to be a one-person job. This allowed us to get the job done. Once we moved into our own building and removed the time constraints, we started adding 2 and 3 person jobs, which tended to make matters more complex. Having fewer resources force you to think creatively about simple solutions. better results Being forced to think about how to do something differently helps make for better results. If all you have to do is throw money at a problem, you haven’t taken a step back to think about the best way to get it done. You’re just doing your first idea. A friend of mine works at a church where money has never been a problem. As a result, anytime someone wants to start a new ministry or create a new event, they do it because they can afford to. However, after years of this, people are starting to wonder if "just because you can" is a good enough reason to do something. If you have resource limitations, you must really dig down to the root of an idea to get to its essence. Why are we trying to do it and how can we achieve it within the resources we have? With resource limitations, you are forced to stop and strip away all the good ideas and reveal the core of the idea. For the Wrights, they realized that they had to solve the challenge of gliding before they stuck an engine on anything. If they could glide easily, then adding power to it would more than likely work. For the Smithsonian, they skipped right over the glider part and loaded down their flyer with tons of power to overcome the deficiencies of their plane. Next time you wish you had more money to spend on a project or on a service, remember all the Wright brothers were able to accomplish. Our world was changed by their commitment to simple solutions to complex problems to achieve the best results. If they could do it with 1% of the resources, what could you do with what’s been entrusted to you?

what 1934 says about the future Jun 12, 2015

Growing up, music was part of my family heritage. As a little kid, it seemed like everyone was heavily into playing some instrument, usually really well. There was a piano in everyone’s house, and with that piano was an expectation that you would learn to play it. Today I have a piano in my house. And not just any piano. As the result of being a part of a very small family, I’m the only grandchild on my mother's side…the musical side, we have THE piano. My grandfather was from a small family in a small town in northern Michigan. The nearest high school was in a few towns over, so he had to stay at a boarding house. They didn’t have a car, they had essentially a covered wagon. He spent most days after school in the potato fields. But they had a piano. And he played it for several hours every day. (OK, so the piano was in a pool hall, owned by his father who was a Methodist minister/barber/pool hall owner) My grandmother grew up in a larger family, a singing family. Not Von Trapp singing, but not far off. She lived in an actual town where she had great opportunities to seriously pursue music. She went to boarding school, but it was for musical training during the summers. They met at Albion College where she was a music performance major and he was just playing piano any chance he could get. Concerts, fraternity parties, pep rallies...you name it. When they got married, my great grandfather decided to give them a piano as a wedding present. A Baldwin studio grand. I don’t know if he gave it to them simply because it was the perfect gift for these two music lovers, or for some grander purpose. Fast forward through the years of piano lessons my grandmother taught on that piano and the hours of my grandfather playing through his favorite Rachmaninov pieces; past my own childhood looking forward to hearing them play and for the chance to play the piano myself, however simple the piece might be. While my experience with music has ebbed and flowed over the years, my love for that piano never diminished. If anything, it only grew with time and my appreciation for the instrument increased each time I went to play it. My grandparents have been gone for a while now, and after letting some time pass, I talked a friend into taking a road trip with me to go and pick it up that piano. There are quite a few crazy stories to tell from that adventure, but that will have to wait for another time; since by now, you’re wondering where this is headed. That piano now lives in my house. There is music that I play on that piano that my grandfather used to play. The very same keys that he poured himself into are the same ones that I now play. When my youngest son started taking piano lessons, he learned to play a piece by Chopin that my grandfather loved to play…on that same piano. My grandfather never knew my son or that he would be playing that song on that piano someday. He probably never thought too much about how pushing me to practice the piano would lead to me attempting to pass on the musical legacy to my kids. I didn’t know my great-grandfather, so it’s difficult to know what he was thinking when he bought the piano, but I’m guessing he wasn’t imagining his great-great-grandson playing that piano in my living room in Chicago. Inside the piano bench, there was a letter from the Baldwin Piano Company along with the original invoice for $1100. (I think I spent that much in gas for the box truck when we went to pick up the piano!) I read the letter out loud to my wife. The Baldwin company was thanking my great-grandfather for his business. Then I got to the last statement: "We thank you for your patronage, and hope the piano will always be a source of pleasure to you and to your family." I'm not an emotional person, but this line got to me. This statement came true for my grandparents and is coming true almost 90 years later with my family. I'm pretty sure the Baldwin Piano Company and H.

being invisible vs. feeling invisible Apr 21, 2015

As technical artists in the local church, if we are doing our jobs properly, what we do is invisible. It should go unseen. The technical arts should be so seamlessly integrated with the creative arts that nobody can tell where one begins and the other ends. Invisible is what we do. What we do is invisible. The problem is when things aren't perfectly seamless and things don’t go according to plan, we become visible. This is pretty much the only time people see what we do. The only time I’m not invisible is when I’ve “screwed up”. Awesome. Add to this all the effort that goes into what does go well, and now I’m feeling invisible. Nobody gives a rip about all the good that's happening, because they can’t see it. And they shouldn’t see it. If you are a leader of technical artists, it is key for us to hold up the value of creating a distraction-free environment…for creating a culture of being invisible. However, because of this invisibility, it is super important to help your team not feel invisible. Since you are the one who sees the good they do, make sure you say something about it. Point out the invisible good they are doing. Among that, pull your pastor or worship leader into the mix to encourage them to notice something good your team is doing. During a Christmas run, someone on my team had done some exceptional work…really they had done the job of two people. We all know that one job at Christmas can be enough, let alone 2. I asked my pastor to write a short email to this individual as a way to help that person feel seen. I needed to supply some information to my pastor so he knew the hidden work that was done since he would never have known about it. It made all the work that person was doing feel seen. I wouldn’t be surprised if after all these years, that the person who received this email still has it saved on their computer. There is huge power in making someone feel visible. As an individual, do you feel invisible? It feels like a cliche, but God sees. If you feel invisible, know that others around you can feel the same. Go out of your way to make someone feel like someone notices. Let’s not diminish our commitment to having the technical arts be invisible, but let’s raise the bar on not making technical artists feel invisible.

the last 2%? how about the last 20%! Apr 03, 2015

When I was at Willow Creek and even before that at Kensington, we talked a lot about “the last 2%”. That part of any project when you just want to walk away, but if you stick to it, it will make whatever you’re trying to accomplish even better. This goes along with the idea of excellence honoring God. Lately, though, I’ve been wondering about the last 20%. In many places I’ve been, both in churches and in schools, or other public functions, I’ve been amazed at the 20% that’s left undone. The thing that is so surprising to me is that some of the things that needed to be done were simple. They weren’t complicated. They just required a little extra time…like 5 minutes here and 2 minutes there. The challenge is those 5 and 2-minute increments needed to happen yesterday or the day before or at least an hour earlier. Taking time to plan ahead and execute tasks before you're in the heat of the moment will make our services so much better. The last 2% is almost impossible for average people to see. But the last 20%! Come on! My mother can see that. Typos. The lights not being quite right. Audio feedback. Let’s take some time to figure out what we can accomplish early so that we can be ready for the unexpected. On any given weekend, there is about 20% we can’t know about…the things that just happen. If we leave another 20% on the table, we are setting ourselves up for failure. We can do better. For the stuff that can be figured out…and there’s quite a bit of it, let’s figure that out during the week so that we can be ready for the stuff we can’t figure out. Let’s make our mothers proud.

partners in ministry Mar 07, 2015

I’ve been married 22 years today. I can’t even believe that so much time has gone by. On my wedding day 22 years ago, I had been working at my first full-time job out of college for about 9 months. It had been quite a roller coaster. I loved what I got to do. As a result, I found myself at work every day of the week. Not because anybody was making me, but because I couldn’t get enough of it! Pretty soon into it, my fiancé moved from Atlanta to join me in Michigan. Never mind that it snowed in the second week of October that year, my future bride had another rude awakening. She wasn’t the only love of my life! With the crazy life of a technical artist in the local church, we had to do some serious work to figure out how to have a strong, healthy marriage, while still cranking out productions to help tell the gospel story. Not an easy combination. Now, before I get into too much detail, I know that every person is different, which means that every couple is different. What worked for my wife and I may not work for you, but I’m going to tell you anyway. Here are a few phrases my wife has used to help me remember that it isn’t all about technical arts in the local church. As a result, we’ve had a pretty good run these last 22 years and I hope that we keep growing and stretching together for another 22 at least. “Come home early." This phrase was usually uttered as I was getting in the car. It also had an upward inflection with eyebrows raised. It usually got a laugh from me. Not a “That’s funny!” laugh, but the nervous kind. Sometimes I would answer with “Like 2 am? Is that what you mean by early?" While this wish was very rarely granted, it did do one thing to my mindset. This phrase was always in the back of my mind. When I wondered if I should push through to get something done, keeping me late or waiting until tomorrow, this phrase would pop up. If I had just spent a 15 hour day at work and my afternoon is clear, my wife’s voice would enter my head. If I were honest, I very rarely came home early. However, I did spend quite a bit of time weighing out the options that got me home sooner than I would have otherwise. Home much effort are you putting forth to your wife and family? Does ministry always win, or do you sometimes drop the ball on your work so your family feels valued? “We need vision too" During one particularly long Christmas run, I was getting up from the breakfast table to head into another long day and night at work. My wife gave me the “where do you think you’re going?” look. When I tried to let her know that as the leader, I had leadership-type things to do before we got into the next rehearsal. At that moment, she let me know that just like my team needed vision, our family did also. From my kids' perspective, Dad was just not home. There wasn’t anything attached to it. The only way they would understand why I was working so hard is if I told them. Unless I gave them a vision for all the work I was doing and the part they played in making it happen, there is no way they could get behind me being gone. In the crazy schedule that Christmas brings to local church technical artists, large sacrifices are made by everyone, especially the families left behind. They need to understand what it’s all about. “Be a man" Ouch! One night after a midweek service, I saw my wife make a b-line to the senior pastor. I thought to myself, I can’t watch. I was tearing down the stage, so I turned my back on the action and just kept wrapping cables. She was confronting the pastor on how hard they worked for me and that they need to give me a break. He listened patiently, then let her know that nobody was asking me to work that hard and that I needed to be a man and have some boundaries. My wife never actually says this phrase to me, but that experience early in our marriage really helped frame the rest of our time together. I needed to learn to say no.

the next big thing Feb 22, 2015

Many months ago, I was feeling like God was calling me to the next thing. The only problem for me was that I had no idea what that “next thing” was. I’m excited to announce the beginnings of that next thing. Remember Gurus of Tech? After attending an amazing event in Louisville, KY back in 2010, the production team at Willow and I decided to give it a shot, and we had a great time hosting that amazing event for a few years. We saw it grow and expand. I have lost track of how many people have told me how meaningful it was to them and their walk with Christ, as well as their development as a technical artist. The other big question people ask me is “When is the next one?” Through many twists and turns, and many, MANY conversations, I can say…I don’t know when the next Gurus of Tech will be. But I can tell you that I’ve been working on something new and am excited to announce the hopefully first of many: First In Last Out Conference! One of the things we noticed about Gurus at Willow Creek, was that 80% of the people drove, which meant there were many people all over the country that chose not to come. When you start adding up travel costs and hotels, even the “free” event started to cost quite a bit. Taking this information and all the things we learned from doing Gurus of Tech for three years, we’ve assembled a team to craft a one-day conference that we will hold throughout the year in different regions. Our goal is to have one close to where you live, making it easier for you to take advantage of the skill development, inspiration, and encouragement that comes from being around other church technical artists like you. Check out our new webpage and let us know what you think! As time goes by, we’ll be adding new locations, so keep checking back to see if there’s a FILO conference near you! We hope to see you there!

tech teams vs. the 2nd law of thermodynamics Feb 05, 2015

As engineering students, we were all required to take the class Thermodynamics. By itself, this is a tough subject matter, but the professor we all had was a cross between a fire and brimstone style preacher, and a drill sergeant. While he made the course fairly entertaining, it was even more intense than just the subject matter by itself. Entropy - A GraphSiting here over 20 years later (how can that be?!) I’m amazed that I still remember that class. Thanks to the drill sergeant/preacher man for making it a class to remember. I could almost guarantee that if I were to ask some of my old classmates, that they would remember this professor also. You might be wondering what my thermodynamics class has to do with production in the local church. Besides the fact that they make up the fundamental laws that our entire existence is based on, there is a point. I had the privilege of serving on a team at a local church recently. The team was made up of some pretty long-term volunteers. When I asked one team member how long they’d been serving, he said “Only 8 years.” I think I laughed out loud! ONLY 8 years! Where’s your dedication?! (sarcasm) As I got to know the other team members, they had all been serving for quite a while also. They knew how to do the task at hand and what was expected of them. They knew the rhythm of the services and how to do their collective assignment well. Being the new person, I know that I would not have succeeded without them. One interesting note was that they have been without a consistent leader for quite a while. As good as these volunteers were, their lack of a leader showed. As someone from the outside looking in, I immediately thought of the 2nd law of Thermodynamics. (wouldn’t you?) A closed system will tend from order to disorder. (Now if you’re a purist student of physics, you know that this language hasn’t been used in a while, but for those of us non-physicists, I think it still works…especially for the sake of this blog post.) This idea is called entropy. It basically states that if left to itself, the energy contained in a system will reach a state of equilibrium. If it is moving it will eventually stop. If it is hot, it will eventually cool off. If something goes up, it will eventually come down. Without some new form of energy introduced from outside the system, things will eventually come to a stop. This is why leadership is so important to a team. Without leadership, without energy being introduced, things will tend to disorder. Without leadership, each member of the team will do what they think is best, and only expend the amount of energy they think is necessary. Leadership acts as the outside force to keep the system moving. Like rocket fuel that keeps a rocket from succumbing to the effects of gravity, leadership provides the necessary force to allow a team to function at a high level. This is one of the difficult parts of leadership. Without constant attention and continual injections of new energy, a team will slowly become less than diligent, to think something is “good enough”. Or worse it might slowly dissolve. As tech people, it can sometimes be difficult to wear the leadership hat. But in reality, if you are responsible for a team of technical artists, it is your burden to carry. If you won’t take the time to invest your energy to build the team or build into the team or hold the team to a high standard, then no one will. In order for a leader to have the energy required to move a team along, he/she needs to be getting that energy from somewhere. It doesn’t just happen by itself. As a leader, how are you keeping yourself going? As a leader, what outside forces are you letting push you forward? Without having good answers to these questions, it becomes almost impossible to expect our teams to be thriving. Going back to the team I served with recently, I’m excited to visit them after they have an established leader again.

what is it about january 1st? Dec 31, 2014

What is it about the date January 1st? In some ways, it feels like such an arbitrary moment in time, yet it gets everybody looking back on the year that just happened and looking forward to the year ahead. I’ve been sitting here reflecting on some of the years that have gone by…with relief that they are in the past. There were some tough years in there. Yet for other years, I wouldn’t mind repeating them because they were so good. In reality, I bet that my good years weren’t really all that great and the bad years weren’t probably as bad as I remember. Either way, the things that happen each year and how I responded to them have made me into who I am becoming. When I look back on 2014, I’ve had quite a few changes, the least of which is stepping away from what seemed like a perfectly amazing job. For someone who is a leader in the technical arts community, working at one of the premier churches for production excellence, it only makes sense to hang onto that job as long as possible. That was a wrestling match I had with God early in 2014. It took months of struggle to get myself to a place where I was hearing God say, “Are you willing to follow me, or not?” In this area and a few other personal issues this year, my faith has gotten to a “where the rubber meets the road” kind of place. If I say I’m a Christ-follower, am I actually willing to follow? Regardless of the circumstances or of the ridiculousness of the request, how does me being a Christ-follower actually inform my decisions? I think I will look back on 2014 and see it as a year of my Christian faith leaving the realms of theory and moving into practice. Instead of going through the motions each day, actually asking the question “What does God have for me today?” and then trying to do that. One of the hardest years? Probably. One of the most fulfilling years of seeing God show up in real ways in my life? Most definitely. At my going away party at Willow (which was at the Texan, the place where production staff has their last meal), there was a giant table that seemed far too big for how many people I thought would be there. Instead, they kept moving more tables and chairs over. As I sat there, I was struck by the impact God has had through me on the lives of the people around that table. At my going away party at Kensington all those years ago, the table was smaller, with fewer people…some of my favorite people, but fewer of them. If I had not been willing to follow God 11 years ago to leave where I was and follow him, his ability to use me would have been lessened. At both parties, I told those gathered that if you feel like God is calling you to something, you should do it. Figuring out if God is the one calling you isn’t easy, but if He is, are you willing to follow? Looking ahead to 2015, I have lots of dreams and some pretty big plans. All of them are untested and with the outcome in some doubt. But if I try not to get too wrapped up in what my blog post will say one year from now, I believe that what happened in 2014 has set me up for an amazing 2015. Some of my big plans for this next year involve our community of church technical artists and I can’t wait to start talking more about it. But for now, I’m trying to soak up all the amazing things God did in 2014.

the ghost of productions past Dec 29, 2014

I had the privilege to work with the stage team at Willow Creek this past week. As the weekend unfolded, it occurred to me that I’ve been serving with many of the same people for over 10 years. I never like to admit that I’m getting older, but there was also someone on the team that I’ve been working with for 20 years almost exactly. Yikes! Taco Bell Drive Thru SignNow for those of you who are still young, you don’t know what its like to start saying a sentence like “Remember that time in 1994 when we…” It is difficult to come to grips with the passage of time. On the other hand, to able to get to work with great people for long stretches of time is pretty incredible. As I think about the production teams I been able to serve with, it is truly amazing how long we’ve been able to work together. You can imagine that much of the conversation from this weekend was about reliving some memory of a crazy event from the past. That one Christmas with the creepy puppet. Or that time we drove the 48” trailer through the Taco Bell Drive-Thu. Or when we fly a drone around the auditorium. As we were laughing or cringing at something we’d done together, I realized that most of what we talked about was made more amazing because we had done them together. Thinking back on some of my most favorite moments as a church production person, it has been about who I was doing it with, not necessarily the thing itself. Whether it was a great memory, or a not so pleasant one, they were all made more sweet because of the people I’ve been able to share them with. There is no question to me that calling people to something bigger than themselves is super important in what we do. If we didn’t, there would be no reason for us to be together; we wouldn’t need all of us to accomplish something simple and easy. But once you get past this fact, it becomes about how we treat each other, and the investments we make in each other, and how we honor volunteers in the process of creating something huge together. Building into relationships matters. Creating an environment where people can serve long term is, I think what God had in mind. A place where people can invest in others and feel invested in; all while doing some amazing production together. Amazing production is cool, but doing it with people you love to be with makes the amazing productions worth doing for the long haul. For those of you reading this who’ve shared some of these memories with me, I’m so grateful for the way God has been able to us our gifts and talents together in community for the sake of the local church. I’m looking forward to even more opportunities in the future.

throw out the bad grapes Dec 11, 2014

I’m a sucker for documentaries. I could watch one after another. It doesn’t even matter what the subject matter is. I love to learn about everything. As a result, I know a little bit about a ton of different things. The other day, I watched a film entitled A Year in Burgundy. It is the story of the wine made in the Burgundy region of France where the filmmakers look into all the different philosophies of wine and the best ways to create it. For some of the vineyard owners, it was all about the science and very quantitative; to others, it was an art form and something elusive. There was one thing that pretty much every vintner agreed on, and that was to eliminate the bad grapes. There were scenes of people picking out bad grapes on a conveyor belt. There were speeches to the grape pickers about eliminating bad grapes before they go into the buckets. The whole time I was watching these scenes, I kept thinking about all the work that went into those bad grapes. Even though they were bad, they still put as much work into growing them as they had good grapes. All the bad grapes were bad for different reasons…rot, hail damage, bruised…but they were all bad. The reason these grapes were thrown out was that they would affect the end product. Among the vineyard owners, the scientists would simply say bad grapes make bad wine. The artists among them would say you could taste the hail damage in the wine. At this point, you’re probably wondering what this has to do with anything. Well, by the end of this movie, I was really impressed with the discipline it took to get rid of the less-than-perfect grapes for the sake of the final product. If I were in their shoes and really knew how much work was involved, would I be able to do what was best for the end result? How many times have I sacrificed the best for the end result for the sake of a bad grape? A less than perfect stage setup or a slightly lazy lighting cue? To spend countless hours on a video, then knowing it isn’t quite there, played it in the service anyway? To keep a chronically late volunteer on the team because, after all, they’re volunteering. Regardless of the work I’ve put in or the team has put in, it might still be a bad grape. There was a big service at Willow Creek that we had spent a ton of energy to make the set a certain way to achieve a certain result. It was a lot of work. However, in the end, it wasn’t right for the service, so we ended up scraping it. For some people on the team, this really bothered them. To others, it was the exact right call. I realize that many of the situations we find ourselves in are way more complicated than good grape/bad grape, but the question still remains: Is the thing I’ve spent so much time on going to make the end product better or worse? Are we willing to sacrifice all of our efforts if necessary, for the sake of the end result? Will we have enough discipline to set aside the less than best for the benefit of what we are really trying to do? Which is hopefully to create life-changing moments through the fusion of the technical and creative arts.

grace for production Nov 06, 2014

I ran monitors the other day. Don’t tell anyone, but it was the first time I had done real monitors with IEMs in my life. Not only that, but on a console I had never touched until that day. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been at FOH, and I used to run wedge mixes from FOH exclusively. So the idea of monitors wasn’t new to me, nor the act of giving artists what they think they want :) I’m pretty sure I did OK. I guarantee that there are many others who are better than me, but I think ministry happened, and I was a part of the team helping to facilitate the experience of hundreds of middle school students. Upon reflection, I had two major feelings after my experience. I had so much fun creating. Building mixes for people. Helping them experience the music so that they could help lead the group. It was a thrill to be a part of facilitating worship from a more hands on perspective. I’ve spent the better part of a decade leading technical artists, which is an art to itself. But getting my hands “dirty” brought back so many great memories, including why I fell in love with production. The second feeling was of gratitude for the grace that the team showed me. There were bumps along the way. There were “gremlins” in the system…either that or operator error. There was definitely a team spirit to create something together, and we were all in it with each other. If we hope to build our teams, and to eventually move from where we are to expand to somewhere better, we need to leave room for people to learn and grow. Instead of just empowering one superstar tech person, we need to open things up to create opportunities for those people that have potential, but need a chance to learn. Giving your team a chance to learn means that mistakes will happen, but creating a grace-filled environment will help our teams achieve more and more. I have to say that Arnez, the TD of Elevate, Willow Creek’s Jr. High ministry, has done a great job creating atmosphere of “let’s try it!” It is that spirit that gives people room to figure out new things with a safety net of grace. The worship leader, Delwin, also made me feel at home and a part of what was happening. As I watched him coach his band, and interact with me at monitors, he pushed us to do our best, even to try harder at times. But the overarching vibe was one of grace and team. If only each one of our experiences serving could have been as amazing as mine was this past weekend! What are some ways we can create opportunities for our teams to feel fully empowered to serve? How can we create atmospheres full of grace? (I have a quick favor…click on the twitter link for Delwin @delwoodworks and give him a quick shout out? They are going into their fall camp with probably 1000 Jr. Highers and could use some encouragement. If you have encouragement for Arnez, leave a comment here and I’ll make sure he gets it…no twitter for Arnez…yet.)

taking the next successful step Oct 10, 2014

When I was a few years into the lighting part of my life, moving lights started to become a big deal. There were quite a few people on the team, my boss included, who wanted us to look into buying some moving lights. This sounds like a dream come true! My boss is asking me to spend money on new gear! Get out! Even with it being such a rare occurrence, I pushed back pretty hard because I knew that I didn’t have the time necessary to devote to programming them…did I mention I was also shooting and editing all the videos at the time? Well, I finally gave in and we bought 2 spot fixtures. But except for Christmas and Easter, I never used them. Just as I thought, I didn’t have the time necessary to really get the most out of them. They collected dust. And the whole time they were getting dusty, I kept thinking that we hadn’t been ready for this step. It was probably time to move in this direction, but we didn’t have the capacity to succeed at it. Looking back, I would have continued to push back and figured out a way to spend that money on something else; something that would have moved us to the next step; the one we were actually ready to take. Since we all have limited resources, it is important to spend them as wisely as possible. Sometimes saying no to something really cool is the right answer.

you are not alone Sep 29, 2014

I’m leaving for Sweden this week. I’ve never been to Sweden before. Other than the $1 vanilla cone at IKEA, I don’t have any experience with things Swedish. (I never leave IKEA without one of those cones! It’s only $1!) I’m super excited because I get to be a part of a gathering of Swedish technical artists. As I’ve been preparing for what to share with them, I’ve realized that there is something I know about Sweden. Anytime you gather technical artists into a room, we are all connected by technology and the fact that we use our gifts for the benefit of the local church. We might be from different countries, but as technical artists, we have a ton in common. Now that I think about it, there is a team of tech artists from Willow Creek down in the Dominican Republic right now, and I guarantee that they are experiencing a similar thing. Whether your church is huge or normal-sized; whether you are part of the old world or the new; whether you have every new tech gadget or you are gaff-taping something together to get one more use out of it; we are all in this thing together. We are all experiencing the joys and frustrations of being a technical artist in the local church. So often we are physically alone. We are the first ones in the door and the last to leave an event. The “every day” of our lives as technical artists tends to feel lonely. In reality, there are individuals all over the world that are doing similar things at similar times. Making copies of the input list for the volunteers early on Sunday morning; driving a trailer full of gear to the local middle school so the gear can be unloaded at 5:30 am; wishing the worship leader had remembered to tell you about that song change before now. The list could go on. When we are in the middle of feeling alone, it is hard to think past your immediate circumstance. What I am most excited about my trip to Sweden is a chance for all of us technical artists to be in one room together and remember that we aren’t alone, that we are a part of a larger group leveraging technology for the message of the gospel. I think it is important to remember that we are a part of this larger community. Who else really understands all the work it takes to do our job? Who else can recognize us for the good job we’ve done (instead of just when something goes wrong)? I would like to challenge every technical artist reading this to find a way to encourage a fellow artist today. If we don’t go out of our way to lift each other up, who will? I would also suggest that each of you find a way to get connected to a community of technical artists in your area or through the great resource of the Church Technical Leaders online community. Whether you are running on empty or you have full and have something to give, plug into the community of church technical artists to help us remember that we aren’t alone.

stop taking yourself so seriously Sep 25, 2014

Recently, I was leading a team to handle the production needs for a concert tour and for those of you who have worked something like this know that it is a ton of work. There was someone on the team who isn’t really a production person and that doesn’t normally serve with us. He kept saying how much work it was, and that normal people didn’t have a clue what it took to pull off what we even do on a normal basis. I agree with him. Production is tough stuff. There is a ton of work that needs to get done. Lots of physical labor. Lots of details to manage. A crew of staff and/or volunteers to keep track of and keep moving forward. I’ve been doing production work for a long time, and it never seems to get easier. When we build in new systems or buy new gear to make things more streamlined, we usually increase our capacity and then push ourselves to that new standard. It’s almost like the idea of computers and the internet will give us more free time…or just help us do more work. I tell myself often that what I am privileged to do is not easy. But if I’m going to spend my life doing it, I want to enjoy it along the way. Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously When you are talking about doing production in the local church, there is a lot at stake. We are trying to make production be as transparent as possible so that the gospel message is clear and unhindered. We also generally only get feedback when things don’t go according to plan, so it is really easy to be super intense to get everything exactly right all the time. In reality, there is no way to keep up this intensity. It is so easy to get wrapped up in not making a mistake that you end up creating more pressure on yourself and your team than actually exists. This somewhat artificial pressure can steal the joy of serving from you and your volunteers. I don’t know about you, but joyless serving doesn’t sound like God’s plan. I love that God has chosen to use us and our gifts to help accomplish his purposes on this planet. I don’t understand it, but I’m so grateful that I get to be a part of bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth. However, if I am so worked up about not making a mistake, am I really contributing to bringing heaven to earth? And isn’t it true that God is infinite and is able to do things that are beyond my comprehension? And couldn’t he work in people’s lives whether there was feedback or not? This is a giant mystery to me. God has chosen to use us but doesn’t need us. We have to do everything we can to create an environment where people can meet with God in our services, but at the end of the day, God doesn’t need us to meet with his people. With this as the backdrop, let’s stop taking ourselves too seriously. Yes, we have lots of work to do. Yes, it is important. Relax. Enjoy yourself.

production foundation Sep 22, 2014

To build a solid foundation for production at your church requires gobs of tenacity. If you think about the foundation of a building, most of it is underground and will never be seen. But without it, the building couldn’t stand. Even though nobody sees what goes on down there, if corners are cut, the building will eventually come down. How you handle the unseen parts of production will determine what your ministry will become. What kind of building can you construct on a shoddy foundation? Not a very good one. And not one that will last. Yet, by building a solid foundation, there is no telling what can be built upon it. In the world of production, most of what we do goes unseen. You are the first in the venue getting things ready and you are the last to leave. There are countless hours in the editing suite getting things just right. Sitting behind the lighting console checking and rechecking the sequence of lighting cues doesn’t just happen by itself. Testing each mic line and instrument cable has to be done so that we know everything is working before we start rehearsal. Most of us can relate to how tired you can get at the end of a long run of rehearsals. Do you stay and clean up now, or leave it for later? Do you watch the video one more time to make sure the edits line up with the audio? Do you troubleshoot a problem until you understand what happened and how to make sure it doesn’t happen again? When I started shooting and editing videos, I learned this lesson the hard way. After I had finished the project, I would start transferring it to tape while I got up and stretched my legs. Then, I wouldn’t watch the tape until we were in the service. Inevitably there was a glitch or a piece of bad audio, or whatever. What I soon realized was that I needed to watch the transfer to tape…all the way through. In one instance, it was 1 1/2 hour final edit and it was 3 am. Do I watch the whole thing, or do I take a nap? If I want to make sure it is done right, I need to watch the whole thing. These are all examples of tenacity in the basics. Since there is nobody around to see that yours is the last car in the parking lot, what you are doing is definitely unseen. What is your commitment to the foundation of production done well?

bridge the distance Sep 10, 2014

If you haven’t picked it up by now, creative artists and technical artists are very different. We think differently. We are interested in different things. We come at the same problem from two totally different vantage points. The nice part is that both groups want to solve the same problem; we’re at least on the same page there. There is much misunderstanding that originates from this one fact. Usually, we are running so fast, that we only have time to deal with our own point of view. Unfortunately, when we are fully immersed in our own perspective, we can misread someone else’s perspective as opposition. I’m an introvert. I like being in the booth. I’m happy to let the people on stage do their thing…while I stay in the booth. Plus, I’m pretty busy running around trying to make their ideas happen. Because of this perspective, I had as a younger version of myself, I spent a lot of time waiting for people to come to me and to get to know me; to understand the challenges I was facing. I figured the music director would ask me out to coffee any minute. History has shown me over the years that I will wait a long time. It has nothing to do with the music director not caring, and it has everything to do with the reality that we are all really busy and we are all feeling alone and misunderstood. One day the light bulb went on for me. If I wanted to be understood and if I wanted to feel like somebody gave a rip about my world, maybe I should do something about it. Maybe I should make the first move. While there is a physical distance that separates the booth from the stage, there is a chasm of another kind that separates the stage and the booth. It is a gap that exists because of our differences, perceived and real. It is the distance that exists because Satan wants to use our differences and the physical distance that separates us to drive us further apart. Thanks for the pep talk, Elliott! What are some practical ways you can shrink the spiritual, emotional, and personality distance between the booth and the stage?

learn a new art form Sep 08, 2014

I’m a huge proponent of becoming more acquainted with the creative process. As someone who is usually executing other people’s ideas, I don’t fully understand what is involved in coming up with those ideas. I just need to make them happen. From my limited perspective, the creative process can seem very black and white. The reality is very different. For many of us, there is something that we are really good at. Whether you are an audio mixer or a systems engineer or a lighting designer, you are an artist of something. You are exercising your creativity in some way. Because we tend to be most comfortable staying in the realm where we know we can succeed, we tend to get locked in this perspective of the world. Breaking out of the rut you might be in, can be very useful to helping you to understand other people’s perspectives. Learning a new craft can also help you get in touch with what is really involved in the creative process. How many of us wished that our senior pastor would sit down with us while we edited so they could understand what their changes meant? What I’m suggesting is the same thing, only we’re the ones learning something new. I have a fairly short attention span, which means I’m trying new things all the time. Photography. Watercolor painting. Piano. Guitar. Sculpture. What usually happens is that I don’t get really good at anything, but I develop a better appreciation for those who are really good in those areas. It also has helped me to understand that just because I can think of an idea, it doesn’t usually turn out that way in real life. If I’m trying to paint something with watercolors, the water does what it wants and I just need to go with it. If I have an idea for a sculpture, it might take me 10 tries before it even resembles a fraction of my idea. The exercise of learning something new helps to expand my perspective from just my own limited one, to one that includes a few other data points. Not that I can fully know all that my creative arts counterparts are dealing with, but having mercy for anyone in a creative process can help us work together better. Learn something new. Widen your perspective.

wait 5 minutes, then freak out Sep 03, 2014

In my early days of work at a church full time, I was the technical director of a church that met in a high school theater. It was a brand new facility and the theater was state-of-the-art, so it was a pretty sweet setup. On the downside, we had 3 semi-trailers full of gear to set up and tear down each week. Fortunately, there was a great team of volunteers who knocked it out every week. For the most part, we had a pretty robust system for getting all this stuff set up and working on time. However, there were several times that there was a glitch in the system. That one time I overslept. Those times when the custodian opening the building overslept. And the countless times that rooms in the building were double booked. I can remember one such time where the cafeteria, which was our video overflow room, was also rented out to some kind of yoga group. When we realized there was an issue, most of my team started to freak out. Not just mild freak out, but full-on “how can church possibly still happen” and “this is a major disaster” types of panic. In that moment, I wanted to join in with the whole team freak out. I figured it would be a great bonding moment for us. But although I wanted to panic, I was pretty sure that wouldn’t help any of us. Not only would it just be one more person losing it, but as the leader, I was certain my team needed to see me stay calm. In the split second it took my brain to go through this exercise, I decided to stay calm for 5 minutes while I tried to solve the problem. After 5 minutes, if we hadn’t come up with a solution, I would join my team in freaking out. But for at least 5 minutes I would hold it together for the sake of my team. After 5 minutes, I would stop worrying about my team and give in to my panic. In this example, and in pretty much every example since I started living with this mantra running through my head, a solution was uncovered within the 5-minute window. If you are a leader in production, how do you handle a crisis situation? Does your team know that you can be trusted to hold it together long enough to come up with a solution? Do they look to you for everything to be all right or do they know that you will join them in panic mode?

put one foot in front of the other Aug 19, 2014

The GLS (Global Leadership Summit) is over…at least in North America. It is one of my favorite events to work, for many reasons. One of those reasons is that I get a chance to have a front-row seat to hear some pretty amazing messages.In the season I’m in right now, which involves much future uncertainty, Louie Giglio’s message was very timely for me. He had some great content like:“Life is short. God is big.”and“To climb the Matterhorn, you’ve got to take one step at a time.”The second one really resonates with me. I don’t have to know every detail of how to get to the top of the mountain, I just need to take one step.It reminds me of the classic Rankin/Bass production “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and the song “Put One Foot in Front of the Other.” OK, maybe it isn’t exactly the same thing, but what a catchy tune!For those of us in an uncertain season or in a time where what needs to get done feels too giant to tackle, let’s just take the next step; let’s point ourselves in the right direction and just make the move right in front of us.So I’m going to dig in and start moving in the direction I sense God leading. Regardless of the size of the mountain, I’m going to get up and take the next step.To quote the eminent philosopher, Kris Kringle: “If your time of life is at hand, a good place to start is to stand.”

more or less, cowbell Aug 12, 2014

It’s my favorite time of year. I have the privilege to work with an amazing team to pull off the Global Leadership Summit, which is broadcast around North America to close to 100,000 people live, and then rebroadcast throughout the rest of this year to another 100,000 in cities around the globe. As we ramp up to this event, we are working hard to solve every potential problem we can think of. Whether that’s getting the scenic design exactly right, or making sure all the audio tracks are working, or checking all the camera shots; we are trying to take care of as much stuff today so that when we are in the event, we can focus on new issues that might come up. Once we have everything hooked up and working, we then start broadcasting live to all the satellite sites. This is the first time all the sites have their projectors and screens set up and the first time we are sending live content to them. One of the tests we run is the audio/video sync test, making sure that the audio and the video are arriving at the same time. This is where the cowbell comes in. I have a love/hate relationship with the cowbell. I hate the cowbell because I have to sit on stage and start banging on this thing until all the sites tell me they’ve had enough until every site says the sound of the cowbell and the visual of the cowbell match. Do you know how long that can be? Do you know how difficult it is to remain passionate about playing the cowbell over that amount of time? I know that Will Ferrel makes it look so easy, but believe me, it isn’t. There’s nothing I hate more than playing that stupid cowbell. On the other hand, I love it because it is the way we are making sure everything works. It is one more detail that we are taking care of before we hit the actual event. It is a way that we are making sure the event is distraction-free before we’ve distracted someone. I love the cowbell because it is a small example of what I believe in, that the technical arts have the power to transform people’s lives. Not through playing a cowbell specifically, but what playing the cowbell represents: creating a distraction-free environment where people can focus on the content instead of the production. I don’t care how much I hate playing the cowbell, if it means that we are doing everything we can to make our event the best it can be, I’m in.

prevent a problem or have to fix it Jul 21, 2014

The pace of doing production in the local church can be crazy fast. Every week, a new service needs to be planned and executed. It is relentless. Sometimes this pace catches up with us in bad ways. If we are running so fast that we don’t have time to think things through, we can start burning people out or spending too much money on an idea. I’ve been listening to the book by Ed Catmull from Pixar called Creativity, Inc. It is a must-read for anyone involved in creating and executing services. I think we could all agree that Pixar has figured out how to create some pretty amazing movies, so I’m ready to agree with anything Mr. Catmull has to say about how they do it. Here’s a great quote from the book that applies to what we do every week: “The cost of preventing problems is cheaper than the cost of fixing problems.” The cost can be measured in time, people, or money. Are we running so fast that we don’t have time to think through potential problems? Are we sacrificing time to prevent problems that we end up having to fix them instead? When I think about fixing a problem that we could have solved beforehand, there are only so many times that you can do that to people before you start burning them out. There are only so many times you can do that before you run out of money. There are only so many times you can do that before you have no more time left. There will always be a tension between preventing problems and fixing problems. We will never know every problem that needs to be prevented until it is upon us. Hopefully, over time we can learn from these experiences and behave differently next time. For me, the balance should land on the side of people. If we burn people out, pretty soon we won’t have anyone left to execute the ideas. On the other hand, if we have to prevent every problem, we will never get anything done?

show your work Jun 30, 2014

Remember when you were in math class, and your teacher would take points off your test if you didn’t show your work…where your answer came from? You couldn’t just write the answer down, he wanted to see your tough process and how you got there. It was a way for him to know that you understand the material. When we lead with the answer “No”, we are not showing our work. For people who don’t generally understand the world of production, you are keeping them in the dark by not explaining how you got to “No”. Part of what keeps us from sharing all the details is that we assume one of two extremes: that most of it is over people’s heads or they already know how impossible their idea is and they are asking for it anyway. My guess is the truth is somewhere in between. When I am working with my kids on homework and pushing them to show their work, they usually get defensive about how much they know about the subject and that they shouldn’t have to show how they got the answer. But without the details, I’m not totally sure they understand the concepts. How often is my knee-jerk reaction to someone’s ideas because I’m defensive about showing my work? What if they think I don’t know what I’m talking about? What if I don’t know what I’m talking about? While opening yourself up to someone critiquing your thought processes, you are also giving them a glimpse into what is involved in executing their idea. Many times, the only way an idea is going to happen is if you and your team execute it. And the way the body of Christ is designed to work, each person has their role to play. You are the expert in what it takes to pull off ideas, so don’t be defensive to show your work.

making ideas float Jun 22, 2014

Photo by mlinksvaOne of my favorite, yet cheesy bits that David Letterman does on his show is “Will It Float?” Basically, something is chosen, like, say, a cheese log. Dave and Paul Schafer vote on whether it will float or not, then they drop the object into a tank of water. That’s pretty much it. (BTW, a cheese log sinks)In the world of production, we have people asking for us to pull off all kinds of things. Some will float and some will not.When you are talking about making an idea float, you need to not only steward the resources you have been entrusted with, but you need to steward the idea that has been presented.In the past, if we didn’t have the resources to do someone’s exact idea, I would usually just tell them it couldn’t be done, and expect them to come up with a new idea. This was before I realized how difficult it is to have an idea in the first place.When I approached brainstorming this way, I’m not a team player, I’m not providing solutions, but only pointing out problems. The amount of time and effort that it takes to come up with a new idea is not something to take lightly, and if something can’t work with what we have, how can I help shape the idea to fit what we can do?If it hasn’t been clear to you already, nobody really knows the world of production as you do. What better person to help figure out how to make an idea work than you?When you first hear an idea, and how production plays into it, you are only skimming the surface. It is based on what someone else imagines can be done with production. When you start imagining how to accomplish the idea, you are drilling down to the idea’s essence. In my opinion, any time you can simplify the idea into its primary components, you strip away the unnecessary parts and getting to the heart.Once you are there, you are able to see more clearly what production can add or subtract, to bring out this essential part of the idea. Just writing this down I get excited! This is where the fusion of the technical and creative arts really comes together! This is what God had in mind when he created you and put you on the team you’re on!

stop doing the impossible Jun 18, 2014

I don’t know about you, but the closer rehearsal gets, I tend to get busier. Cleaning up messes, correcting typos, doing that thing I forgot to do on Thursday.Typically these are things on my list, things that I want to get done. I’m generally not doing things that are on other people’s lists, because I don’t know what is on their list. So when the bandleader shows up with an extra guitar, and an extra vocalist, and a song change, it can be easy to blow a gasket.How am I going to be ready for rehearsal if I don’t get my stuff done? “Don’t you know that I have enough to do without you adding crap to my already big list?” Because I find myself in this place, it is really easy to freak out and just say “No! I can’t do these things.”The funny thing is that I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said no immediately, then after thinking about things for a while, finding a way to make it happen. I would then do it, even after I said it couldn’t be done. I can remember one such time when I said we couldn’t add an extra tin whistle or something and then I ended up providing a mic for it. My boss called me on the carpet for it. You can’t say it's impossible, then turn around and make it happen.Trust – Down and to the LeftPhoto by purplejavatrollIf you say one thing and then do another often enough, no one is going to believe you. What will result is that they will stop believing you, which means you won’t be believed, which leads to no one believing what you say.Nothing drives trust out the door faster than saying something can’t be done, then proving the exact opposite. Trust is the key commodity for true collaboration to happen, and if you are doing things begrudgingly that you’ve already said no to, you will lose trust. Once it is lost, it is almost impossible to get back.I’ve seen this happen so many times. Not just with me, but with many tech people I’ve worked with. As tech people, I’m pretty sure that we aren’t even aware of what’s going on.From my perspective, I’m usually pretty proud of myself for figuring out how to do the impossible, and I usually want others to be amazed by what I’ve pulled off. Instead, the exact opposite is happening. Slowly over time, your ability to do the impossible after you’ve already said it can’t be done is eroding trust little by little.Give yourself time to thinkInstead of responding immediately with the negative, ask for some time to think about it. In the pressure of the live event, this can be pretty difficult, but by not answering right away and asking for a minute, you’ve communicated what you are really wanting, time to come up with options.Sometimes there isn’t time, but don’t let that stop you from asking. Once you’ve got these words out, the person asking knows that you don’t know right this second but that you might be able to come up with a solution if you’re given some space.So let’s say there isn’t time to wait and you’ve said you don’t know. Then the answer needs to be no; and it isn’t something you’ve said, but the situation is to blame not you, the negative tech person. This doesn’t erode trust at all but instead builds trust.In this example, what if you then came up with a solution after some time has passed? Do you think the other person will be angry that you came up with a solution after the fact? No way! They are amazed by your brilliance! How did you come up with a solution to the impossible?By asking for time, you are communicating. Communication is key to trust. Trust is the fuel that drives collaboration.

a new chapter Jun 16, 2014

Photo by quinn.anyaI love to read. When I was a kid, I would devour books. I can remember getting to the end of just about every chapter and not being able to stop. Now that I’ve been reading my whole life, I know that not all books are written in such a way that the chapters end with a cliffhanger, but I would have to say that the best books I’ve read have a way of pulling me into the next chapter.If I were to carry this analogy into real life, when you are living in the moment, it can feel like a cliffhanger is happening to you. Maybe it is because of your circumstances or maybe it is because you sense God is moving in your life. Whatever the reason, it can be difficult to let the cliffhangers pull you into the next chapter of your life. Many times, I can find myself getting stuck in the old chapter…in a perpetual cliffhanger. At a certain point, it doesn’t become a cliffhanger anymore but a really bad storyline that involves me having tired arms.As a Christian, I believe that God is always calling us to something. I’ve lived in many moments of God calling me to step out, or to stick with something; to love someone unconditionally, or to experience more joy in a particular situation. Over time, I’ve noticed that I am not always listening to God’s callings. There is so much fighting for my attention that I’m unable to hear him.On the other hand, I admit that I believe I’ve heard God's calling, but I’ve been unwilling to follow his voice. What God calls us to is not always the most comfortable. So what if you feel like God is prompting you to do something? Are you willing to follow the call?If I were honest, I believe that God has been trying to get my attention for years. On one hand, I’ve been trying to push through, not quit, to look for solutions, to be a team player, and not let the team down. On the other hand, I have been unwilling to believe that God could have a new chapter that is better than the current one.As a result, I’ve been dangling from a cliff for some time. The big question for me, is am I willing to let go and trust God to continue the story?Well, I have finally gotten to the point of letting go. I am leaving my position as Technical Arts Director at Willow Creek Church. I will be working through the Global Leadership Summit in August, then I’ll be done. (For those of you who are a site TD, I’ve got one more cowbell performance in me!)I have watched God do some pretty amazing things through me and through my team. Whether it was the way we worked together, or the way we were able to touch the lives of thousands of people each weekend, or watching my team inspire technical artists through the Arts Conference then through Gurus of Tech; God has used us in ways that none of us could have done ourselves.For those of you who know my story, my journey to Willow Creek was more about God asking me to leave everything and follow him. While my current situation is completely different than 10 years ago, God is still asking me to let go and trust him…to leave everything and follow his call.Where is he calling? I don’t know yet. The only thing I know for sure is that he has asked me to let go and trust him, so that is what I am doing. My family and I are terrified and super excited about what is next.If the best stories are made up of chapters that end in cliffhangers, I want my story to be great. Not great for the sake of great, but for the sake of being used by God to the fullest. I want to look back and see how letting go of the cliff led to the next amazing chapter, and that the author of the story could only be God.In what ways are you hanging on? What do you need to let go of so that the next chapter can start?[As a side note, I plan to continue to write this blog. I anticipate there will be many stories of God working through the next chapter of my life. And since I’ll still need to process these things by writing, there will be more than enough content for this space.]

if it can’t be done, say no. Jun 12, 2014

Photo by Pascal Swier on UnsplashI like to be a team player. I don’t like to let people down. Many times, something can’t be done simply because you or your team don’t have any more time…at least not a normal amount of time.I’ve noticed that it is easy for me to sacrifice my time for an idea, that I don’t consider my time to be a resource. But because I don’t want to let my teammates down, I say yes to something instead of having dinner with my family or going to my son’s t-ball game, or finishing another project that isn’t as urgent but is more important in the long term.Don’t be afraid to say no for reasons that seem squishy and selfish. Your time is valuable and it matters. Your team needs you to speak up. If you don’t, pretty soon you are going to be bitter for all the ideas that “force” you to miss family time.I think many of us know the grumpy tech person. It might even be you. Don’t let this happen in the name of being a team player. You are not helping your team any by not speaking up for the things that you don’t have the capacity for.

circle of trust May 25, 2014

Photo by drew_anywhere.I don’t think it is a stretch to say that most of us don’t make the final decision. As a technical artist in the local church, much of the time we’re facilitating someone else’s idea. Whether it is the worship leader or the youth director or the senior pastor, we all have people that are making bigger decisions than the ones I’m making.What mic to use, how many lights to turn on, what kind of font to use for graphics. Not that these decisions are always the easiest, but production decisions follow other, larger decisions that affect the whole church. Sometimes these decisions aren’t in the best interest of the production side. It could be something that compromises the mix, or the process, or is riskier because we haven’t rehearsed it yet.These examples are all things that matter, but when it comes down to what is best for the service of the church, what matters to you isn’t always the most important. So how do you care deeply about something; so deeply that you go after it with tenacity, and then let it go?A big part of it is to be comfortable with what might happen next. If you know that all the information is on the table and that the leader has everything she needs to make a decision, you need to then go with her decision. And not with your normal passive-aggressive self, but with the same tenacity you would go after your own ideas. If your concerns are realized, it isn’t your fault, (since you did such a masterful job of informing your leader of what could happen) and you still did your very best, even though it wasn’t your recommendation.To be a real team player, it is important for your leaders to know that you will give them your best, whether you get your way or not. They also need to know that you will take care of your stuff fully so that they never have to worry about it.Trust is built by the accumulation of encounters like this every day. Your leaders trusting that you are taking care of production and you trusting your leaders that the best overall decisions are being made. And trust is the foundation of the body of Christ functioning at its fullest.When your leader does the opposite of your recommendation, what is your first thought?Does the phrase “I told you this would happen” come out of your mouth?How could you develop your level of trust in and from your leaders?

good sound is subjective May 21, 2014

[This is a guest post from my friend Jonathan Malm. While we have only met once in person for about 30 seconds, we have done a lot of work together in the cause of making the process of doing church better. He is the curator at churchstagedesignideas.com, Sundaymag.tv, a blog about the creative process, and Mopho.to, a photo resource for bloggers.]Photo by kc7fys.“Good sound is subjective.” Have you ever heard that line? I used it often as a worship leader. The staff member responsible for the sound engineers used to pull that out all the time when I asked for specific mix requests.That infuriated me—and not just because I was a bit of a diva. Good sound isn’t subjective. Not when it means you can’t hear the lead vocalist or percussion clearly.So one day I put aside my guitar and closed my singsong mouth. We liberated that staff member of their technical responsibilities and I took over. (No, we didn’t fire them. We literally just took something off their plate.)For the first few weeks, I simply sat back in the booth and listened. I didn’t want to rock the volunteers’ world with sweeping changes.I’d hear the sound engineers explain that so-and-so didn’t have the best voice, so they pulled them out of the mix. The bass player sometimes hit bad notes, so they kept him low in the mix. They preferred more traditional music, not rock music, so they kept the electric guitar very subdued.You see, these sound engineers had been told that good sound is subjective. It’s not. They were confusing excellence for personal preference.I made some pretty big changes. I wrote out a manual explaining rock music and its mix. I destroyed the myth that good sound is subjective. And my sound engineers excelled. They got really good.So did the band. Once the bass player realized people could hear him, he started tightening up his quality. Once the vocalist realized she could be heard, she sang better and with more enthusiasm. As we began to trust the band, they began to trust us.Good sound isn’t subjective. Good sound is when you make the musicians sound like they intend to sound. When you appropriately mirror—through the sound system—what’s happening on stage, you’ve achieved good sound.Sure, there will be slight differences between each sound engineer. Some of that is preference. Some of it is technique. There will be differences. But it shouldn’t modulate between smooth jazz and rock and roll each week. That’s a matter of personal taste, not a matter of excellence.This is true for all production techs. Yes, we are artists. We’re the last line of defense between the message, music, and visuals getting to the audience. We craft and tweak and sweeten each bit so it’s delivered with excellence. It’s truly an art. But we’re also co-laborers and servants. We aren’t the originators of the art. We’re the deliverers. We don’t get to change it to match our tastes.We get to make it excellent.If you aren’t willing to lay aside your preferences, the tech department isn’t for you. But if you want to work with a team of amazing artists and help them make something magic, tech can be an amazing calling.I loved jumping into the tech department. I realized how much we could cripple the worship service if we wanted to. I also realized how much we could enhance the service when we did things with excellence.I encourage you. Be excellent.

strategic stretching May 17, 2014

Photo by Filip Mroz on Unsplash.By pushing ourselves from time to time, we increase our capacity. Looking at a running analogy, if I increase my pace a little at certain intervals, pretty soon my whole pace has increased.In the world of production, once you try something for the first time, it now has the potential to be a part of my normal bag of tricks. The thing that almost killed you two Christmases ago, is now something you don’t hesitate to do on a normal weekend. Pushing yourself to try something new at the right intervals means that you are increasing your endurance, your capacity, your normal.Pushing yourself too much or too often, will wear you down. However, without pushing yourself from time to time, you will stagnate.Figure out the right pace for yourself. Then figure out how often you should push yourself.

paper jam May 09, 2014

Keeping things simple eliminates the possibility of failure. When something has tons of moving parts, we are opening ourselves up to those moving parts ceasing to move.Photo by Bank Phrom on Unsplash.I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve gone to the copy machine and something is jammed or broken. Considering how sophisticated they are, it isn’t a huge surprise that it seems like it's broken more than it's working.In live production, we don't have the luxury to wait for a copy machine repairman to show up. We need to get it working now!Are you creating a collating, stapling, hole punching, folding copy machine type of plan, or are your plans simple, eliminating the potential for failure?

realms of practicability May 05, 2014

I’ve been doing some writing on the idea of backup plans, and along the way, I’ve also been reading a book about the admirals who led the Navy during WWII, oddly enough called The Admirals by Walter R. Borneman. For the most part, the names Leahy, King, Nimitz, and Halsey are not well known to the history of WWII, yet they were instrumental in helping bring an end to hostilities in the Pacific from December 1941 through August 1945.Photo by Hannah Wernecke on Unsplash.I can’t even imagine the kind of leadership that was required to make the right decision, knowing that people’s lives were at stake. It makes the decisions I need to make each day seem pretty insignificant.Anyway, Chester W Nimitz was the commander in chief of all air, sea, and ground forces in the Pacific area starting immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and he had quite a few leadership qualities that I really admire. One of them involved figuring out if a plan was worth executing. Check this out:“Is the proposed operation likely to succeed? What might the consequences of failure be? Is it in the realm of practicability in terms of material and supplies?”I love these questions. How sure are we that our plan will work? If it doesn’t work, what’s the worst that could happen? How many resources can I devote to minimizing the risk of failure?Asking these questions really helps tweak out whether the original idea is any good in the first place. It also helps bring a backup plan into view, then asking if it's going to be worth it.Live production involves the risks of human error and/or equipment failure. We can't eliminate every risk. It is not possible to avoid every possible failure. There isn't enough money or people to solve every problem.So how can we use these questions to make the best decisions for our services and our church, given the resources at our disposal?

discovering creative intent Apr 23, 2014

To be a technical artist in the local church, you need to become really good at asking questions.Not only are there details we need, so that the right gear is set up, but a key reason for asking questions is to get a better understanding of what we are actually trying to do.Photo by Matt Walsh on Unsplash.I have been a part of so many misunderstandings derived from assuming you know, or they know, or that everyone is thinking the same thing. As it turns out, nobody is thinking the same way about any one idea. We are all coming at it from very different angles.At the baseline, production exists to support an idea, someone’s creativity. In our case, we are trying to create an environment where people can meet with God. Without fully understanding the intent of an idea, and how production can support this idea; things can get pretty out of hand quickly.There was an era of my production life, where I wasn’t asking enough questions about intent. As a result, our production team just did what we thought was best, which turned out more often than not, to be 180 degrees from the intent of the idea. Production can get pretty distracting when there is a misunderstanding about creative intent.If creating a distraction-free environment is a key-value (and it should be), without understanding the point of an idea, we will more often than not distract from what the idea is trying to achieve.This kind of question-asking is less about going after the answers you need and more about making sure the answers in your head are correct. The kind of answers you are looking for are less black and white: “How many snare drums will the drummer bring this week?” and more grey: “Are you wanting us to blast the audience with light, or do we want them in the dark at that moment in the song?”Getting answers to how production can support an idea can’t happen without you asking the right questions.

learning from disney housekeeping Apr 15, 2014

Easter is coming, and for some crazy reason, you and your spouse decided it would be a good idea to host the family Easter dinner. Don’t you know you have some huge Easter production going on?One of the things I love about having people over is that it causes a flurry of activity to clean up, pick up and organize your house. For many of us, the mess in our homes becomes invisible to us and we let things pile up. Having people over means that they are going to see the mess that we’ve been living with for who knows how long.On the other hand, one thing I don’t love about having people over is that it takes so much work to get the house ready and presentable. But it must be done. And it must be done before anyone arrives. I don’t want people walking in while I’m still cleaning up. I want to be relaxed so that I can enjoy the people I’ve invited over.For the guests, there is a certain expectation that they will be taken care of and that any needs they have during their visit to our house will be taken care of and met. They are anticipating an enjoyable, relaxing time.Photo by Joshua Hanson on Unsplash.setting the stageMy friend Marty O’Connor taught me years ago that this principle applies to what we do as technical artists. One of the key factors in being prepared is that we have the table set, so to speak. When our counterparts on the stage arrive, everything should be ready for them to dig into the task at hand.The musicians, vocalists, and speakers who have a task to perform on our stage, have many things going on in their heads and hearts as they prepare to lead our congregation. Our job as technical artists is to have everything set for them so that they can concentrate on the part they need to play.This means that line check has already happened, that the lights are aimed before they walk in, that the graphics are correct and ready. The goal should be to have everything prepared before they walk in the door, much like the dinner party. If a guitar player has to go digging around looking for a music stand, she isn’t able to focus on what she does best, play guitar.I’m not suggesting that musicians should be above helping out and getting a music stand from time to time, but when you boil it all down, making sure the stage is ready to go when people walk in is my job. It’s the production team’s job to have everything prepared and waiting for people to walk up and do their thing.As technical artists, our thing is to take care of the technical details of our services. Our pastors and worship leaders should be able to walk in and only worry about what they have prepared, not their stuff plus whether or not the graphics will be ready.taking it up a notchWhat if you spent some time figuring out how people like things to be ready for them? To learn what each person's preferences are? The drummer only likes to use one tom, not three, so our team takes the time to make it so. The senior pastor always likes a small table for water to the right of the podium, it’s there.For those people who have ever stayed at a Disney resort, you know that the service is amazing. A friend was telling me that after housekeeping cleaned their room, his son’s stuffed animal was moved around and posed in some fun way: brushing its teeth, looking out the window, watching TV. Was the room clean? Sure. But the experience was taken to another level by spending a few extra minutes to show some thoughtfulness.Are you and your team ready to go when people arrive on stage? What do you need to change to make sure the table is set and ready to go? How can you go out of your way to create an unforgettable experience for your worship team?

don’t wait to stretch yourself Apr 02, 2014

As the technical artists at your church who stewards the resources that have been entrusted to you, you are responsible to get the most out of every piece of equipment.Sometimes we might not have the exact right piece of equipment to accomplish someone’s creative idea, but don’t wait on new gear to try something new.Photo by Arthur Franklin on Unsplash.How can you take what you have to do something new and amazing? How can you leverage the tools you do have at your disposal for kingdom impact?Being ingenious with what you have can be a creative challenge.Think differently about what you have and see what you can come up with. In this mode, you may not be doing things by the book, but who cares. Try it anyway. You might learn what doesn’t work, but you might also learn that your gear is capable of much more.Along the way, you might also learn that you are capable of more.

a late night Mar 30, 2014

This is a guest post by my friend David Leuschner, the Executive Director of the Technical Arts at Gateway Church in the Dallas area. It was late. I walked into my house and sat down with a lot on my mind. As I sat there and thought about the day’s events, some good, some bad, a thought came to my mind: Am I leading my team well? One person I have read a lot about and continue to learn from is Steve Jobs. He once said, "The most important thing is a person.” His passion on this statement created some of the most dominant products and product following we’ve seen. More importantly, that statement is the key to answering the question, “Am I leading my team well?” So, how does focusing on people show you’re leading your team well? Change the mentality of what your team is doing. Your production team isn’t just behind the scenes. They are the scene. Like a worship leader on the platform playing a keyboard, techs are playing an instrument that mixes everything together to create the environment that ultimately sets the environment of worship and hopefully leads people to Christ. Without this vital group, the spoken word would not reach satellite venues, recordings or the masses. Technical artists are fulfilling the Great Commission. If your team can grasp this, it’ll change the way they act and interact with each other. If I do this will everything run perfectly? No, tough situations arise. Leading well means you’re ready to address these tough situations. You’re monitoring the health of the team and ready to help someone if they get hurt or out of line. Similar to a sports team, you’re ready to bench people who don't live up to the values of the team. As I drifted off to sleep, I wrote down one last item. We have to hold ourselves accountable to be the best we can be, but our team is made up of people. They make good decisions and bad decisions. We can't expect perfection, but we can expect excellence. As Max DePree says, Our first obligation as a leader is to define reality, the last is to say thank you, in between, be a servant. Live that and you’re leading your team well. Goodnight. This is just an excerpt of David’s thoughts on leading well. Check out www.audiovideolighting.com for a more complete version of his perspective on what it means to lead a production team in the local church well. Connect with David on Twitter: @davidleuschner

short term failure for long term success Mar 26, 2014

In an earlier blog post Tools Don't Make the Craftsman, I mentioned that I was reading Neptune's Inferno by James Hornfischer. I really loved this book and learn all kinds of new things about the amazing effort of the US Navy in the Pacific during World War II. While what we do as technical artists in the local church doesn't even come close to the sacrifice of these men and women, there are definitely some great lessons to be learned. One lesson involves training new officers. In the early days of the war, no one had any experience. Nobody had fought in a naval engagement before. As a result, the only way to get experience was to dive in and learn by doing. Unfortunately, this usually meant learning at the cost of people's lives. Photo by Peter Pryharski on Unsplash.Again, not to compare situations, but this sounds pretty similar to my own experience learning to do production. I was basically making it up as I went; learning along the way. Fortunately, no lives were in danger (except for that close call with Mike Franks in the mid '90s, that he hasn't let me forget about). Since I was the most knowledgeable person there, it was always the best it could be…which wasn't saying much. But what happened over time is that I gained more and more experience. Now here's where the US Navy really impressed me. Once an officer had some experience, they would pull them out of the fight and send them away from the front to train new officers. As you can imagine, most of these officers wanted to stay with their men and their ships to continue to fight the enemy. In the short term, this meant that the Navy would continue to be led by inexperienced Captains and Commanders. But the leaders of the Navy held a longer view. They told these officers, "We need you at the front, but you can't come back until you train 100 other people to be like you." As a result, the more time that passed, the number of experienced and well-trained officers kept increasing. The Navy went from inexperienced officers to a mixture of experienced and inexperienced, to a Navy full of highly trained and experienced leaders. There are 2 things that really captured my imagination. 1. The Navy had the discipline to take out their best chance of immediate victories, i.e. leaving their experienced commanders at the front as long as possible, to invest in the next round of leaders. While we might not be in a similar life and death struggle, what would your production team look like if you leveraged your star volunteers to start training other potential star volunteers? Instead of putting that volunteer behind the console each week, what if you pulled them off of the rotation so that they could focus on pouring into one or more other team members? 2. The Navy took chances on the rookies. They knew their survival depended on giving people chances to succeed, which also meant there was a chance they could fail. Any time you put someone new behind the ProPresenter computer, you are taking 2 chances. One chance that they fail, the other they succeed. Failure is not something any of us love. It violates the value of creating a distraction-free environment. Yet if we don't take a chance on someone, eventually we won't have anyone who can do it at all. What if we could take the longer view. If they fail, we've learned where that person doesn't fit and we can either move that person to a different role or if we see potential we can keep giving them more chances to succeed. If they do succeed, we've just increased the capacity of our team. Not only are we able to do more now, but we have engaged one more person to use their gifts for the benefit of the body of Christ. Everybody wins. Are we willing to not be held hostage by the immediate needs of the moment to invest and risk with the next round of leaders?

match what’s happening on stage Mar 20, 2014

I don't subscribe to many magazines, only because they just pile up on my desk. Lately, for whatever reason, a small stack has developed, so I took the time to go through them the other day.One article that caught my attention was about Elton John's Diving Board Tour, especially since it was one of the last projects that Mark Fisher worked on. I'm a huge fan of Mr. Fisher's work, more specifically the process of how he worked.Photo by Aditya Chinchure on Unsplash.In the article, LD Patrick Woodroffe talked about how the show came together. It started with Sir Elton wanting to take his show on the road, and basically saying, whatever Mark and his team came up with for the production design would be fine. Talk about a blank check!For many tech people I know, this would be the chance to try all the most cutting-edge things I've been dreaming about. To pull out all the stops. Yet, here's what Patrick said:"The last thing you'd want to do in creating a rock show is to come up with a big concept that has nothing to do with the person sitting on the stage. It's always been our view that you start with what's on the stage and work from there."This is some wisdom.No wonder Elton John trusts the people at Stufish so blindly; they have proven that they only want to create something that fits what he is trying to do. They don't just want to take his money and do whatever they feel like with it. Their goal is to steward his trust and create something that will enhance the person and the music of Elton John.For those of us doing production in the local church, it is so easy to get caught up in the latest and greatest. Or doing cool production-y things, for their own sake. What our churches need, is for us to have a similar attitude as the crew working with Mr. John.What's happening on our platform? How can we help enhance it? How can we make it the best version of itself?Is your idea to fill your room with haze going to help make your services better?Will a louder mix satisfy your own desires to feel the bass, but distract people from why they are in church in the first place?Do all your crazy dutch angle camera shots help people engage with what's happening on stage or is it just making them sick?Taking Patrick's advice will do at least two things for us, make our services better, and build loads of trust with whoever your version of Elton John may be.

who decides? Mar 18, 2014

I like it loud.I like lots of top light on the band.I like san serif fonts.I like to feel the kick drum in my chest.These are my preferences and are just the tip of the iceberg. I'm only one person on a team of people with preferences of their own. So…whose preferences matter? Whose don't?If our services were put together based on everyone's preferences, we probably wouldn't even have a service. Or at least we would have a service that nobody really liked.So what do we do? Who decides?Photo by Michael DeMarco on Unsplash.In our world today, there is such a high premium placed on the idea that everyone's opinion matters, so this might feel pretty counter-cultural, but unless the leader decides, we won't really get anywhere important.From the very top of your organization, for many of us, that's our church, there needs to be a very clear idea of what we are trying to do. Not that the senior pastor needs to decide band arrangements or anything that detailed, but at the least they need to have empowered someone to make those decisions.Then that person needs to empower her/his team to make the decisions necessary to pull a service together. But at the end of the day, someone needs to say what's most important. When values clash, and they will, who decides the best way to go?All of our situations are different, but regardless there should be someone we can look to for direction in those moments. When the audio engineer has a preference that clashes with the preference of the band leader, or the lighting designer as an idea of how dark it should be on stage that doesn't line up with what the video director needs, who decides? I can tell you that it shouldn't be those individuals, because we would never come to a decision.If it is your job to decide, don't make every decision, but help your team by arbitrating on values. You need to be the one to pick which value matters most in a given moment. It is up to you to develop a point of view and share it with the team often. As it turns out, your preferences matter the most. It might feel odd, but it is true.Now, if it isn't your job to decide, then get out of the way. Serve up your preference, but let your leader make the final decision.My impression is that many of us tech people like to make decisions about audio or lighting or video that really aren't ours to make. Work with your leader to figure out what you can decide and what you should defer to them on.Who decides? The leader. Is that you or someone else? If it is you, do your team a favor and decide. If it isn't you, do your leader a favor and let them decide.

tools don’t make the craftsman Mar 13, 2014

I am currently listening to a recorded book called Neptune's Inferno, which is about the US Navy's battle with the Japanese over the island of Guadalcanal. As I have been going through the book, the author, James Hornfischer has done a masterful job of writing the narrative of all the different ships and the people who worked on them.Part of the story of World War Two in the pacific is about the many technological advances the Navy had put into all their ships and how in many ways, they were on the cutting edge of technology. Sonar and radar just being a couple of examples. But just because they had the latest and greatest in technology, didn't mean everyone was using it effectively.Here is one quote from the book that seemed to apply beyond naval warfare, to where most of us live:"Tools do not make the craftsman."In the area of production in the local church, having the most advanced technology isn't necessarily the answer, especially if you don't have the people who understand how to use it.Photo by Hunter Haley on Unsplash.For many of us, making the most out of the tools that are right in front of us is the first step to great production. If you aren't a "craftsman" when it comes to audio or video or lighting, having the newest LED fixture, or the latest plug-in, or a 4K camera, isn't going to turn you into a craftsman.Working diligently to master your craft is going to turn you into a craftsman.In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell talks about the "10,000-hour rule", which basically says that it takes about 10,000 hours to master a specific task.Are you putting in the time to develop your craft? Or are you blaming your lousy tools on why things aren't better?From another perspective, are you putting your time in on the wrong craft? Maybe no amount of hours will make you a craftsman at a particular task. I'm sure I could spend 10,000 hours trying to become a competitive short distance runner…and I'm fairly confident that I wouldn't win any races. Getting the latest plug-in for your console isn't necessarily going to make you a great audio engineer.At most of our churches, we don't have the resources to be on the cutting edge of technology, but when we are entrusted with the church's funds to purchase the next new thing, are we confident that we have mastered what we already have?

gurus of tech at willow creek Mar 10, 2014

I love connecting with other technical artists. I love the chance to be around people that think like me and that struggle with similar issues; to be around people that view the world from a similar vantage point and who help build the kingdom in similar ways.In my earlier years as a technical artist, I spent a good deal of time looking for community, for people who understood my point of view and wrestled with production type issues in the local church. Cold calling large churches that might have a TD, just so I could commiserate with someone. Reaching out to other churches in the Detroit area, just so we could get together and build each other up.Fast forward though something called the Tech Forum, held for a few years when I was at Kensington; then onto the Willow Creek Arts Conference and finally Gurus of Tech first in Louisville, then to Willow Creek for the last few years. This list not only points to how passionate I am about bringing technical artists together, but it really points to the need that exists among local church technical artists to be in community together.At least for this year, Gurus of Tech will not be at Willow Creek, and there isn’t much to it. Just like your church, everything our church does requires production’s involvement. In our case, God has been moving and working in the life of our church and things are growing and changing and requiring us to think differently about how our production team does ministry. Basically, just like many of you, we have a lot going on.This doesn’t change the fact that there is a need for us technical artists to gather and it doesn’t mean that we don’t believe in what Gurus of Tech stands for. What it does mean, is that our team’s number one priority is to facilitate ministry at our church. Maybe even more than that, it means that we need to devote our best to what God wants to do here in our local community.We have some really exciting things happening at our church, that we are privileged to work on and put our best energy toward.The team at Mankin Media is developing plans to carry Gurus of Tech to other places, not just geographically, but in concept. The production team at Willow Creek is excited for the opportunity we’ve had to participate in the very cool idea of Gurus, as participants and as organizers, and we look forward to being involved as much as we can in the future.

imperfect, but usable Feb 27, 2014

Based on my last 2 posts about what we do and how we do it, let's say you and your team and doing amazing work, and you are treating each other the way Christ commands us. Is that all there is? If I do those two things, God will bless everything we do? Not necessarily. I would say there is one more component to what it means to do production in the local church.Photo by Edwin Andrade on Unsplash.After we've done our very best, and we've exhibited the fruit of the spirit to each other, we need to let God do his work.For whatever reason, God has chosen for us to be a part of his plan to redeem the world; that people would encounter Christ through our involvement in the world. By using our gifts and talents for his purposes, we are bringing heaven to earth.If I were God and I was infinite, I don't think I would save the world using finite people. We are all flawed and imperfect, so why would God want to introduce risk into the equation?5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.2 Cor 4:5-7OK, so God wants to use us, but he also wants to make it very clear that he deserves the credit for what happens. All our work and all our love for each other isn't what brings people to Christ, but it is the Holy Spirit. At the end of the day, God doesn't need us to accomplish his purposes. Yet he wants to involve us, and then he wants there to be no question that He is the one who is moving.After we nail every transition and love each other to death, it is still God who is working in the lives of people.The beautiful part is that even when we don't nail every transition, and when our love for each other is less than it could be, it is still God who is working in the lives of people.Following Christ as a technical artist can be challenging.Care deeply about technical excellence, but don't worry about it.Live out the fruit of the spirit, but if you don't, God is still working.If God can work when things aren't working, imagine how much more effective we could be for His purposes when things are working well?58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.1 Cor 15:58

a new commandment to technical artists Feb 20, 2014

In my last post, I talked about how being excellent in each tiny detail adds up to overall excellence. You can't have a great event without taking care of all the small things. If you look around at many live events or events on TV, you'll notice that these things happen all the time. There are tons of amazing technical artists taking care of the smallest details so that the event happens without us even noticing how production is playing its part. At the least, we should be striving for this kind of excellence in production.But I don't think that's enough. For those of us doing production work in the local church, or even in my recent case, being a part of a German/American production crew to pull off the Germany Leadership Conference, there has to be more to it than just nailing all the production details. So what separates our production from any other?For those of us doing production in the local church, we have the opportunity to use our art to advance a pretty amazing purpose: spreading the gospel message of Christ. However, this is only an external difference between doing production in church or being a part of a production at the auto show. But this still doesn't begin to define what it means to practice the technical arts as a Christ-follower.Photo by Duy Pham on Unsplash.Excellence in production is pursued everywhere, so that can't be the answer. Whether you are turning a mic on for a pastor or a spokesperson for the car company, that doesn't define the difference either.Jesus summed it up pretty well in John 13:34-35: 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”While we are taking care of every little detail, while we are striving for excellence, how are we treating each other? While we are striving for excellence, how are we interacting with each other?Jesus said we wouldn't be different because we just happened to be doing production in a church. He said we'd be different because people would see how we love each other as we are doing production.When things get intense during rehearsal, how are you responding to those around you? When mistakes happen, how do you handle yourself with volunteers? When someone asks for something last minute, what is your knee-jerk reaction?While the task of production is important, if we aren't nailing the details, loving each other isn't going to be the answer for doing great production in your church. But if you are killing the production parts, but steamrolling over people, you're totally missing what it means to follow Christ as a technical artist. You must be doing both.

no detail too small Feb 14, 2014

There are some days that I really love my job. I am currently in a run of days that are generally some of my best experiences in production, the Germany Leadership Summit. It happens every other year, and I have had the pleasure of leading these trips since 2005. I can't even believe it. I am usually more tired during these trips than for any other production that I get to be a part of, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. To build something from nothing and then watch thousands of German-speaking people singing familiar songs in a language I don't understand will never get old to me. In the first few days of our experience, we are pretty much just getting stuff done: banging truss together, running hundreds of meters (yes, meters) of cable, hanging projectors, and line arrays…pretty much building the environment. Taken as a whole, it is a TON of work. It is so much, that it can almost seem insurmountable. However, in reality, the whole thing is made up of small, doable parts. Unwinding a cable, rigging a motor, aiming a projector. With the team I get to work with, these tasks are pretty straightforward, if not beneath their abilities. Yet here we find ourselves spending the majority of our time doing these things. What I love so much about this team, is that while their talents are amazing, they are not too good to dive in and do whatever needs to get done. The other day, a teammate reminded me of a phrase that we used to say a lot: "Here to serve!" This phrase exemplifies the attitude of this production team. We have a ton of little things to do, and we are going to kill it on each one of these. No detail is too small to not do our very best with. Especially on an event of this scale, the details all add up to something huge. Each tiny thing adds up to the whole. So if we are only doing an OK job along the way, that could potentially add up to disaster. Why take a chance that one small shortcut will come back to bite us later. Let's do it right the first time. As we step into this event, we are striving to do our very best, even in (especially in) the smallest detail. Photo by Headway on Unsplash

right now vs. exact planning Feb 01, 2014

Lately, I have noticed a difference in thinking between senior leaders and tech people. Senior leaders don't really notice technology issues until they are issues, and they want them fixed immediately. Tech people on the other hand are always trying to plan for the issues but really can't do all the work of figuring things out until they have the green light.Sooner or later this issue can set the two groups onto a collision course. Once we have the go-ahead, we want to start teasing out every detail to make the very best choices for budget and capacity, all of which takes time. From leadership's standpoint, once they say "go", they are ready for it to happen.So how do we handle this potential conflict? What is the balance between right now and the time required to plan every little detail?A good starting point is to talk about what the goal is for the particular project. Is time of the essence? Is money tight? These two questions will help define which end of the spectrum your brain needs to think about this project.Photo by Sonja Langford on Unsplash.FASTIf speed is the most important factor, money will probably not be spent in the most frugal fashion. When you are running fast, you end up making choices that are more expensive than if you had time to do the research necessary to figure out the best solution. If time matters the most, be ready to feel like you are throwing money around.COSTIf your budget is tight and therefore by default the most important value, you will most likely spend more time trying to figure out how to accomplish the goals and spend the least amount as possible.At both extremes, there comes a time when you need to just get the work done. At a certain point, you just have to dive in and get it done. Otherwise, we could research something to death looking for the cheapest or most precise answer. Or with speed being the highest value, get all caught up making sure we are doing the exact right thing and then not making any decisions.Working in production as long as I have, I probably fall on the side of wanting to research as long as possible, to save the most amount of money as possible and come up with the perfect solution. As a result, it can sometimes feel to my leaders like I'm not getting anything done.I love how Seth Godin talks about "shipping". The idea is that nothing will ever be fully done, and so you need to become disciplined to just get things out the door. Especially in the world of technology, the minute we decide to head in a certain direction, the technology will be obsolete. This can make the speed part of the equation so difficult to handle because we want to get the most technology for the money.So what is the right balance of speed and cost? Somewhere in between. When I think about it, it might have more to do with what will help our church the most right now? Where is the momentum? Will we lose it if we take too long to figure out the perfect solution? Maybe we'll lose it if we hurry up and make the wrong decisions.Wherever it is, make sure that you are on the same page with your senior leaders in each given situation.

production from a pastor’s perspective Jan 16, 2014

Today's post is by an old friend of mine. Steve Norman is currently the Lead Pastor at Kensington Community Church's Troy Campus and we both started working at Kensington in the same era. The era when your office was in the copy room, or the warehouse area. Our paths have crossed and recrossed over the years, and I thought it would be great for the predominantly technical audience of this blog to hear about technology from the viewpoint of a pastor. Enjoy.Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash.I can tell you exactly where I was sitting in the church auditorium when it happened. I was a high school student trying to follow along with the pastor's Sunday morning message and there was an audio glitch of some kind. And then my pastor did it. He called out the audio engineer from the stage. Not as a colleague and fellow team member, not as a gifted hardworking artist, but the "sound guy" who fell asleep at the wheel. I cringed. And every time I've heard it done since, I still do.I've been doing ministry in some kind of formal capacity for close to 20 years, but I've never had a class or workshop on how teaching pastors/communicators can better serve and coordinate with their production teams.The truth is: most pastors don't really know what you do, how you do it, or how well you do it. They believe it matters, but as my story indicates, many speakers/teacher don't publicly acknowledge their production teams until something goes wrong.If you, however, want to take your working relationship with your pastor to the next level, allow me to offer a few simple suggestions:1. Communicate. Then communicate some more.Do you know what your pastor needs and expects from you? Does he or she know what you expect from them? Do you have a call time? Does the speaker honor it? Are you ready for him or her if she does?If the speaker is bringing CG or video, do you have a deadline you expect it by?My team has made it crystal clear that if I don't submit my CG by 12p on Friday, they may not be able to have it ready to run for our Saturday 5:30p service. It's taken us some wrangling to get to a system that works for both of us, but when I respect their boundaries our dynamic is healthier.Our stage manager, lets me know what shirts I shouldn't wear because I'm on IMAG. It drives me crazy really, but I have to remember she's working in my best interest. If the image on the screen is too busy, people can't focus on what I want to say. Because of communication and over communication, I know our team is as committed to the message as I am, just from a different, yet necessary perspective.2. CollaborateAsk your speaker, what their objectives are: for the day, for the series, for the ministry season. If your speaker is anything like me, they have a horrible habit of waiting till the last minute to pull a talk together. When you can, sit down with them and explain the kinds of ways that set design, lighting, audio, etc. can enhance where they want to go if they give you enough lead time to help them. This is the "help me, help you" conversation.3. CelebrateWhen your speaker honors a deadline, thanks one of your volunteers, or gets you their scriptures on time, celebrate them publicly with your team. A little affirmation goes a long way in creating a culture where your teachers learn to value and elevate your teams.As your begin to communicate, collaborate and celebrate together, then maybe, when they call your name from stage, it will simply be to remind the congregation how incredible you really are.

whoever said collaboration would be easy? Jan 11, 2014

I was just thinking about this past Christmas production, and my initial thoughts have been focused on how well the service turned out and how many great comments I've received.If I think a little longer, I start remembering all the things that didn't go well. All the long days, all the delayed decisions, all the budget issues, all the creative differences, all the hard conversations…all the, all the, all the.Photo by "My Life Through A Lens" on Unsplash.If I stretch my memory far enough back, it is quickly apparent that most large event processes that I have been involved in have been flawed in some way. There are two conclusions I can draw from this…either I'm the common denominator and I'm the problem, in which case I should probably consider a different line of work, or pulling off large events is hard work.My friend Blaine Hogan and I have talked a few times about the fact that collaboration is hard work. In Genesis 3, God said that as a consequence of the Fall, the ground would now be cursed…meaning that we would be toiling long and hard to make anything. Work would be difficult.As a nine on the Enneagram scale, I work really hard to make sure that everyone is happy, which I realize is not actually possible, especially in a large event collaborative process. Somewhere along the way, I assumed that everyone needs to be happy for a process to go well. The reality is that, while these two things aren't mutually exclusive, neither one is the ultimate goal.Did the event we were collaborating on, work? For those of us in church production, did the service help move people closer to Christ regardless of where they are on their spiritual continuum? I agree that it is too simplistic to say that the "product" is the only thing that matters, since if the process is bad for long enough, people won't stick around to do it again.For me, every event comes with its own set of challenges and each event also comes with a list of things to learn from those challenges.True collaboration takes work...to brainstorm, to work with constraints, to trust each other. It also requires tenacity to learn from the past, so that we are always creating better processes to get to the finish line.Easter, here we come!

another post about volume Jan 07, 2014

Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash.I don't know about you, but I've noticed that tech people tend to like things louder than most. How else can you get the drums to sound as amazing as your new micing technique requires? Worship leaders also like the energy that comes from a louder mix.For senior pastors, the volume can be a very sticky subject with the congregation, and I think there are probably some larger issues than the decibel level on Sunday morning that require his/her attention. I don't know about your senior pastor, but mine isn't ready to die on the hill of kicking subwoofers or the perfect drum mix.Your pastor needs to know that you have the best for the whole church in mind when you or your team are mixing audio. Unfortunately, it is really easy for production people to communicate something quite different: that your killer mix matters more than a bunch of old people complaining.This brings up a couple of questions…What motivates your mix? Is it for it to sound as amazing as it can for the sake of sounding amazing (listen to those drums!)? Or is it to sound amazing so that the most people possible in your congregation can experience God?Do you have a good understanding of what your church leadership needs from the mix? Who is the target audience? What is your church's "sound"? What does the mix need to accomplish?It needs to really clear between you, your team, your worship pastor, your producer...all the way up to the senior pastor on what the church's stance on the mix and volume should be. From there, your pastor needs to know that you are dealing with it.And by dealing with it, I don't mean cranking it up so the drums sound incredible. Dealing with it is being tenacious to make it sound better and better, and then balancing that with what is best for the whole church.Your senior pastor doesn't want the mix to offend people. If they are going to be offended, let the Holy Spirit do that.

perfection at what cost? Jan 04, 2014

I had a conversation with a co-worker a few weeks back and we talked about whether or not perfection was the goal of any production. After writing a blog post, then thinking some more about it, I have another idea.If making things distraction-free is just another way of saying perfect, how can we avoid the idea of perfectionism?Photo by Jonathan Hoxmark on UnsplashMaybe I just have a problem with the word "perfect". What exactly is it? What does it apply to? How is it achieved? If we are talking about mics on and lights pointed at the right things and graphics being spelled correctly, then sure. Let's make it perfect.However, most of what we do in production can be subjective and the idea of "perfect" breaks down. What is the perfect mix? Perfect IMAG? What is the perfect service?If perfection is the ultimate goal, how far are we willing to go? How redundant are our systems? Do we run a generator during every service just in case the power gets interrupted? Do we buy two of everything just in case? Should everyone know how everything works so that everyone can know the answers to every possible question? Should we stay all night and rearrange the stage to make it "perfect"?The list of things we could do to eliminate risk and ensure perfection would be a never-ending list, but most of us don't have the many resources. Time. People. Money. And no amount of either of these three things ensures perfection.This is where I really love the idea of excellence over perfection."Doing the best with what you have." is one way to define excellence. This really helps put things in perspective. You can only do your best, which sometimes might appear as perfection. This concept takes into account all the things that you've never experienced before, and it factors in the reality that stuff breaks. It considers the skills of your team and the type of equipment you have.Another definition of excellence is "being better today than yesterday." This considers learning from mistakes and new experiences each day to keep getting better and better.From another perspective, what are you characterized by? Do the same mistakes happen over and over again? Are technical distractions the norm for you? Or are these isolated incidents that only stick out because your congregation is so used to the amazing distraction-free environment that you create on a weekly basis?So the goal isn't perfection, but doing your best, and being better today than yesterday...which hopefully includes things being flawless.

Christmas past Dec 24, 2013

Coming up with the perfect Christmas program seems really simple when you see what churches all over the world are doing. It all looks so easy and magical. The reality is much different. First off, there is probably nothing even close to a perfect program. Second, developing an effective Christmas service (or any event for that matter) requires tons of work, lots of collaboration, and probably even more compromise. Easy isn't one of the options.Photo by Mourad Saadi on UnsplashFor the Willow team this year, we had our share of ups and downs to get to where our program ended up. Is it perfect? No. But it is a product of our best effort, given our abilities, given our limitations, given our resources. And with all of that, it is a really good Christmas program.Without question, there are things I would do differently. There are things I wish others had done differently. If we were going to take this show on the road, then we'd be able to make some more tweaks and turn it into a "better" version of itself…but we aren't.However, as Seth Godin talks about quite a bit, there is a time for planning and tweaking, but there is also a time to ship; a time to stop adjusting and get your product out there.All along the way, we tried to make the best decisions we could, based on the information of the moment. Looking back is easy. Knowing what I would do differently is the easy part. Living in the moment and making decisions along the way is not easy to do. You can only do your best.Wishing the last event was better doesn't really solve the problem. Looking towards the next big event, the goal will be to build on the successes of this event and to learn from our "mistakes".I'm really proud of the work our team has done to make this Christmas amazing. Hardworking, highly creative people, creating in community for the benefit of our congregation and their friends. In spite of whatever could have gone better, this is a Christmas to remember.

responding to complaints Dec 17, 2013

I'm pretty sure it only happens at my church, but from time to time someone complains about it being too loud. I've written a few posts already about how loud is too loud, which addresses the philosophies around volume at church but having values around why your volume doesn't stop some people from thinking it's too loud.Recently we adjusted some settings for the low end in our PA in an attempt to solve a few problems, but we ended up creating new low-end issues. As a result, we got more than our usual amount of written and verbal complaints about it being too loud.Photo by Filip Andrejevic on UnsplashFor us, we have a pretty decent understanding of how loud it should be, and I'm pretty comfortable with the fact that some people will still complain. So how do you handle those complaints? Since there is no way to make everyone happy with the volume, what do you do?I have a theory that people want to feel heard. So here's what I typically do when I receive a volume-related complaint.I first reach out via email explaining that I received their email about it being too loud and that since I am responsible for the live production elements at our church, I would love to talk further. I then ask for the best way to reach them, then wait to hear back from them. I try to respond within 24 hours of getting their original email.This quick response communicates that someone is listening and cares about their opinion. It also puts the ball in their court to respond back. If I hear back from them (which I normally do) we then arrange to talk on the phone or meet in person.When we finally talk, I ask them a series of fact-finding questions:How long have you been coming? How often do you attend?Was this an isolated volume issue or is it something you feel on a regular basis?Where do you normally sit?Do you notice if the volume changes based on worship leader/worship style?Once we talk through these, I usually walk through the following:The locations in our auditorium that tend to be quieter.That we keep track of our dB levels over time and know scientifically that we aren't causing permanent damage to people's hearing.Our philosophy on volume…in a nutshell, we are trying to match the energy in the room and create a great worship experience for the largest number of people.We are constantly evaluating volume and trying to get this balance right.9 times out of 10 this conversation goes very well and the experience leaves people feeling heard and valued. In the past, we used to send people an email with documentation and an open letter (that you can read here). These are necessary to have on hand, but they don't address the real issues, which is a member of the congregation feeling like someone at the church actually cares. The letter alone is too cold and impersonal.Picking up the phone to a potentially hostile conversation is not my idea of fun. OK, who am I kidding? Picking up the phone at all is one of my least favorite things.In all the years that I have been making these particular types of phone calls, I have never had a bad experience. At the end of a conversation, I have made a great connection with someone in the congregation that I serve.Responding to complaints is a necessary part of leadership. Responding to the production-related complaints is a tangible way for your to help carry a small part of the leadership burden for your senior pastor.

ordinary people Dec 12, 2013

Something that I shared with the Willow production team at our Christmas party...This year, I decided to participate in an advent experience. It is nothing more than reading every day from John Piper's Good News of Great Joy (BTW, it's free). While reading through this, it struck me that it is probably the first time I've done something advent-y since I was a kid and we lit a candle on a horizontal wreath each Sunday during December.So far, it has been a good thing to help me wrap my mind around what Christmas is actually is about.Photo by Ehteshamul Haque Adit on UnsplashOn the 4th of the month, the reading talked about how God orchestrated the prophecy of Christ being born in Bethlehem, using Caesar Augustus to have this idea of a census to get Mary and Joseph away from Nazareth. I love this picture of God moving the chess-like pieces around to create the perfect situation for His son to enter the world.The funny part, is that once they get to Bethlehem, God has forgotten to provide them a place to sleep? After all the work of moving governments around, God the Father simply forgets to make a reservation?It turns out that what I would have done, or what might make the most sense to our human minds, was exactly what God decided not to do..be born into Caesar Augustus' family and then just take over. To change the world through strength. He could have but didn't.Instead, God chose to use Mary and Joseph, her sister Elizabeth, a bunch of shepherds…basically normal people. Ordinary. Flaws and all. He chose an unlikely place for Jesus to be born…one that people could say "Only God" about.God wanted to make it very obvious that1. He could orchestrate things however He wanted.2. He was intimately involved.3. He wanted to use the ordinary to redeem the world.As I look around the technical arts community, I see God's plan continuing today. No offense, but we are a pretty ordinary bunch. If we were to dive into all of our stories, we would find a similar theme to Mary and Joseph's situation: God's orchestrating hand; that He is intimately involved with each aspect of our story, and that he has been using us to help redeem the world.If I were to orchestrate the perfect plan to help save the world, I still think I would imagine it totally different from how God has designed it. He has decided to use us…OK, I guess.However, if God's plan is to use ordinary people, I can't imagine a better group of ordinary people that I'd rather be associated with. He has used our uniqueness and our specific makeup to reach out to the world. He has used us as technical artists to help get His message out. I love that there is a place for each of us to contribute to His plan.We've all been a part of many unique experiences this year, all of which God has used and is using to help God's people in all our churches become more Christ-like.Thanks for your willingness to let God use your ordinariness to redeem the world.

don’t be a Christmas wuss Dec 04, 2013

Here it comes. Christmas production time.I was going through the calendar and marking off all the nights that I am going to be at rehearsal this month. Needless to say, it was a sobering exercise.Photo by Jonathan Borba on UnsplashFor those of us in the technical arts of the local church, this is our busy season. Preparing a service for the largest numbers of guests that we will see all year. We want it to be flawless (not perfect, see the last post) and we want people to have an experience with God, maybe for the first time. There can be lots of pressure riding on this one service.I don't know about you, but as December lengthens, I get more and more exhausted. I have less and less patience and more and more anxiety. As the late nights start piling up, it can be really easy to justify sleeping in and having my wife take care of everything at home. After all, I'm killing it at work so that people's eternities can be different. I deserve a little extra sleep, right?After a few years living my December this way, I decided that I was being a wuss. Sure, maybe I am working hard, but my wife has essentially become a single parent for the month. Talk about difficulty.I would encourage all of you with families to suck it up.Andy Stanley talks a lot about the idea of cheating your workplace, not your family, in his book When Work and Family Collide. While what we do for our Christmas services is critical, it shouldn't come at the expense of our families.2 things:1. Cast vision to you family for why you are gone so much. Help them understand what your church is trying to accomplish and how your whole family can help sacrifice for the sake of the gospel to be shared.2. Help get your kids ready for school. Engage in normal activities with your family when you can. Build a snowman. Make time for meaningful conversation with your spouse. Go out of your way to be "On" at strategic times.Christmas is tough for the technical artist. No argument there.Rise above how you feel and invest in your family this season.

is perfection the goal? Nov 30, 2013

One of the values we have on the Willow Production team is to create a distraction-free environment. We are trying to be transparent, so that people in the congregation don't notice the production, and can therefore focus on God.Photo by Kyle Johnson on UnsplashDoes this mean that perfection is the goal? Maybe it is splitting hairs, but I'm a huge opponent to the idea of perfection, but I have no problem with the idea of striving for transparency.Perfection as a goal is like saying mistakes are not tolerated. For me, this removes the option of healthy risk-taking, which is critical to stretching ourselves and trying new things. If we aren't taking risks, we aren't figuring out more efficient ways of doing things. If we aren't taking risks, we are potentially making choices based on old information from years ago.If there is no room for making mistakes, eventually things will die. In his book "Leading Change", John Kotter says that in order to keep a white fence white, it needs to be painted continually. If we are just leaving it alone, it will eventually deteriorate. Perfection as a goal cannot be sustained. Change has to happen, which opens things up to potential mistakes.If striving for perfection is the highest goal, your team will be set up to fail. As time goes on with mistakes not happening, the pressure mounts for when the next mistake might happen. This leads people to perform their tasks out of fear of failure. I don't know many people (none) who do their best work when they are afraid to mess up.As a technical artist, I work really hard to clear the way for people to experience our church services without distraction. For me, this drive is based on wanting to do my very best. From the outside, my best might seem like I am striving for perfection. To me, I am doing everything in my power to make sure that I've checked everything, and that I have systems in place to cover known potential issues. I am not interested in making stupid mistakes over and over again.I also know, that doing the best with what I have only goes so far. It can't cover every potential thing that might happen. Even with an unlimited budget or the best experts in the field, I can't account for every eventuality.I was at a church service recently where all the front lights stopped working. In spite of this obvious distraction, the church service was amazing, and I believe that God moved. There was lots of tension in the front row about what was going to be done about it, but after things were fixed before the next service, there was tons of grace for the team…then a conversation about how do we make sure this doesn't happen again.How you respond to mistakes says a lot about your perspective on perfection. It is difficult to hold tightly to things being perfect and also realizing that mistakes happen and having grace in those moments.The goal shouldn't be perfect for the sake of perfection. The goal should be doing our very best to create an environment where people can experience God.And sometimes our very best falls short, and God can still work.

the defining characteristic of church production Nov 26, 2013

At many churches today, the level of production value rivals many other live shows. The bar has been raised over the years to the point where the types of equipment and the people operating them can play in just about any arena.Photo by madeleine ragsdale on UnsplashIf our gear is the same, and the quality of people's ability is the same, is there really a difference between doing production outside the church and doing it for the church? Are we just facilitating a "show" at church or is there something deeper?For the sake of this particular post, I'd like to quote Jesus from the book of John to explain the difference people should notice between a production team with a Christ-centered approach and one that isn't:“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”I don't know about you, but this verse doesn't jump out as the first verse I think of to describe any production ministry at a church. Production as a people group is not well known for this idea of love. We are however known for cynicism, passive-aggressive behavior, and the infamous one-syllable answer "no".What would our teams look like if this verse were more the norm? What if the production team at your church set the pace for loving one another?How do we get from where we are to this lofty idea of loving each other?It can be as "simple" as treating each other with respect. To go out of your way to serve the needs of the people on stage. To respond in every situation with grace. To assume the best of others first.Loving one another is not easy. It is much easier to just tolerate people. This can lead to bitterness and can break down relationships. Technical artists and creative artists working together can be challenging enough without the added layer of barely tolerating each other.We both need each other. We have a chance to change the world by using our gifts in combination…together. Our impact can be exponential if we can figure out how to love one another.What would your church look like if the production team was known for the love they showed to each other and to the people they came into contact with?

don’t say someone’s “no” for them, part 3 Nov 21, 2013

Given the title, it shouldn't be a shock that there is a part 1 and a part 2 to this. In part 3, we'll look at a more subtle way that I can say someone's "no" for them.When a pastor asks me for something that seems undoable, my knee-jerk reaction is to NOT tell them how difficult something might be, I just do it. And as a result, I'm saying "no" for them.For me, I feel responsible to make stuff happen, so I don't say no.Photo by Devin Avery on UnsplashWhen someone had a crazy idea that I wouldn't know how to do with our current resources, I would spend the only capital I had: my time. I would kill myself to make an idea happen, without ever talking to the idea person about the costs involved. I used to make an assumption that the person asking knew what it would take and they were asking for it anyway.By not having a conversation about the cost of an idea, I wasn't giving them an opportunity to say "no". I generally assumed the answer would be "yes", so I didn't bother asking.Then one day, I had an idea of my own.When my boss would have some crazy idea, I would try to imagine how I could get him to say "no" to his own idea. At first look, this might seem like I was pulling one over on him. In reality, what happened is that I learned how to present several options and let him choose.Instead of being deceitful, I ended up learning the valuable lesson of providing solutions to the challenges instead of just killing myself to pull off the idea and then becoming resentful and bitter.Sometimes my boss would say "Yes. We are going to do it.", but more often he would pick one of the more doable options. Over time, I noticed that he would choose doable over "no" pretty much every time. I also noticed that when he said we needed to move ahead with something that seemed undoable, I knew he wasn't taking it lightly.This pattern helped us develop trust over time. We started to see each other's point of view as essential to make things happen. Instead of feeling like we were always on the opposite side of a problem, we acknowledged that we were coming from different vantage points, and we celebrated it. We needed each other.When we say someone's "no" for them, we short circuit the opportunity to get to true collaboration.

don’t say someone’s “no” for them, part 2 Nov 13, 2013

Yet another post about saying "no" for other people. (check out part 1 here)This one is based on a stereotype of tech people everywhere: We always say "no".Photo by Florian Schmetz on UnsplashUsually, we say it with attitude. Many times we don't even hesitate; it just comes right out of us."Hey, I have this idea to..." "NO!"We don't even wait for the punch line.I think this comes from being overwhelmed by the task we already have in front of us, and from a general misunderstanding of what we actually do by the people with the ideas.I think the reasons that we jump to "no" so quickly only perpetuate being overwhelmed and misunderstood.With our production team that works the weekend service, we have been doing a lot of work on becoming one team with our creative team counterparts.When we say "no" so fast, it doesn't allow the creative team into our world. They will never understand what is going on under the surface if we never open up the conversation about why we are overwhelmed.Contrary to what I used to think, people with awesome creative ideas tend not to fully understand what it will take to pull it off…that's what we are there for. I think this is the way God designed us to work together. But it only functions properly if we open the door to what is really involved.Opening yourself up requires, well, opening yourself up. To either acceptance or rejection. Either becoming more like one team or becoming more separated.Working production in the local church requires some relational risk-taking. Without opening yourself up to the possibility, you are shutting down the very thing that will help your creative and technical arts work the way God designed it.Take a chance. Don't say "no" immediately. Talk about what is really going on. You might be surprised by the response.

don’t say someone’s “no” for them, part 1 Nov 09, 2013

Bill Hybels wrote a book called Axiom. It is a collection of leadership values that he uses to help make decisions. From a leadership standpoint, I have found it to be invaluable. I say it is a must-read. He does a great job of distilling leadership principles into easy-to-remember phrases.Photo by Daniel Herron on UnsplashDon't say someone's "no" for them, is one that I need to remind myself of often.There are a few different ways that I say people's "no" for them and I'll reflect on some of them over the next few posts.the big askWhen I am looking for volunteers to help with an event, I tend to not ask, assuming they will say "no". I'm saying "no" for them.Whether it is because I don't think an event is worth someone's time or it's too much work or it is something I personally wouldn't volunteer for, I make choices for other people all the time.We are getting ready for an event in a couple of weeks that I assume nobody would be interested in volunteering for…so I didn't ask. After getting to a point of desperately needing people, I realized what I was doing.On one hand, I was saying "no" for everyone by not asking. On the other hand, I was depriving them of an opportunity to use their gifts. Gifts that God has given them to serve the local church.By not asking, I'm making assumptions about people and I'm not giving people to choose.Is it because I don't have a vision for how God wants to use people for His purposes in the local church?Maybe it's because I don't like rejection. If I never ask, then nobody can say "no" to me.The Body of Christ was designed for us all to play a part; to participate. By not asking, and saying "no" for someone else, I am stopping God's plan for His church from happening.I need to ask and let people decide for themselves.I need to ask, to give people a chance to participate in what God is doing at our church.I need to ask.

make the right behavior easier Nov 05, 2013

I really enjoyed the book "Influencers" by Joseph Grenny, who was a speaker at this past year's Leadership Summit at Willow Creek. Here's another great quote from the book:Make the right behavior easier and the wrong behavior more difficultPhoto by DESIGNECOLOGIST on UnsplashWhen I think about what separates great production from bad, much of it can be solved by following this great advice.When I was doing set up in a rented high school theater we had a difficult time getting rehearsal started on time. After years of frustration, I started keeping track of how much we could actually accomplish in the time we had available. Not surprisingly, we were trying to cram too much stuff into the short amount of time we had, with the people at our disposal.What we ended up doing was figuring out what a "normal" setup looked like, so that we would know if we needed more people or more time to get it done for rehearsal to start on time. We made starting rehearsal easier by figuring out how to get there.For years, when we would play a video in our services, the background music would overpower the people speaking. So now we split the talking from all the other audio so that we can adjust in the moment. We also check the videos on Friday to make sure they look and sound good so that we aren't scrambling around on Saturday afternoon to fix a problem.I recently helped at a fundraising event. There were lots of wireless mics involved, which are typically unreliable at this venue. While I suggested we shouldn't use them, the organizers of the event overruled me. Guess what, 3 out of 4 mics failed during the event. With every speaker standing behind a podium, we could have eliminated 95% of the risk by using a wired mic.Now that I'm reading back through this post, it is less about right and wrong behavior and more about reducing error by eliminating points of failure; building systems to minimize "wrong behavior".In your world of production, how can you develop ways for your team to have good outcomes and avoid bad outcomes?

Isaiah’s words to technical artists Oct 30, 2013

“Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.” - Isaiah 57:14 I love this verse. Photo by Andrei Stratu on UnsplashEven though it was written thousands of years ago, it feels like a rallying cry for technical artists in the local church. It is why we are the first ones in the building each weekend, and the last to leave. This past Saturday, I bumped into one of the founders of our church. He was as surprised to see me as I was to see him. He asked me why the production team was there so early. I told him that's what it takes to make our services distraction-free. He thanked me and the team and went on his way. We were practicing Isaiah's words. Being in a dark auditorium before anybody else is there can be lonely. But it is what it means to live out "removing the obstacles." Staying long after everyone has gone home is another version of this. We are just setting ourselves up for the next opportunity to "Prepare the road." What you do matters, and it is way bigger than you being the one dumb enough to take the crap job. Building up the stage; building up the graphics; building the lighting plot; is all a part of creating an environment for people to have an encounter with God. When you are wondering why you are the only person left after a rehearsal, remember Isaiah's words:"Build up. Remove the obstacles."

your identity Oct 25, 2013

I had the privilege to help lead the Technical Director’s Retreat at the WFX conference in Dallas this year. If you have never heard of this or have never been, this part of the conference is worth checking out. It is a chance to hang with other TDs, staff and volunteers, from churches big and small from all over the place. I love it because it is a place that I can be reminded that what I do matters, and that I’m not the only crazy one.Some rights reserved by jimforestAnyway, at this past year’s event, I talked about the story of the sisters, Mary and Martha, and their encounter, or lack thereof, with Jesus. Here’s a refresher from Luke 10:38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”I don’t know about you, but this story baffles me…at first. Then it starts hitting a little too close to home.While Martha was doing what she was made to do (I’m sure she had a hospitality gift), somewhere along the way, she had turned the party into the most important thing, instead of Jesus.And since the party wasn’t going super great, she was losing it on her sister and on Jesus. My guess is that her identity was wrapped up too much in what she did and not in Jesus.I love that I have had the privilege over the years to work at a job that I love and feels like what I was made to do. Unfortunately at times, this becomes more than what I do but I derive my worth from how well I’m doing at my job.I do need to do a good job. I want to do a great job. How God sees me has nothing to do with this. Whether I succeed or fail. Whether there is feedback or a missed graphic, God still feels the same about me.Am I so wrapped up in my role as a technical artist in the local church, that I lose sight of my true identity?

is Jesus just a job to you? Oct 15, 2013

I have been working in production and serving in the local church for most of my life…like 3/4 of it. Whether it has been as a volunteer or a staff member, I have spent quite a bit of time in church. Photo by Matt Botsford on UnsplashLast week, Pastor Eugene Cho came to speak to the Willow Creek staff. He talked about a few things, like the fact that his youngest son's name is Jedi! As a Star Wars fan, you have my attention! One thing he said, in particular, hit me pretty hard. He read from Luke 7 where Jesus is having dinner at a Pharisee's house. While he is there, a sinful woman comes in and anoints Jesus' feet. It is a story that we have all heard before, but Eugene pointed out that this house is full of a bunch of religious leaders, who are watching and listening to Jesus from a clinical, almost academic perspective. Here's a group of people whose full-time job is God. Understanding the law, following the law, making sure other people are obeying the law. They aren't engaging with what Jesus is trying to teach them, they are just pulling apart the details.As technical artists in the local church, I think it is really easy to fall into this way of encountering Jesus. We are in the room, but we are only aware of the things that we care about. Are the graphics working? What is the mic placement like? Do we have the CCLI number for the song at the end of the service? I've talked about this before, but the gifts that we have been entrusted with, helping create environments for people to experience God, can put us in a place where we only experience Jesus through the lens of production and not as simply a Christ-follower. If I were honest, sometimes I check the box of "going to church and getting fed" just because I am at work. If I were still honest, I am not really going to church and I'm not getting fed while I am at work. If I were honest one more time, I would admit that I can go for long periods of time not developing spiritually. As a group of people who spend a lot of time in church but aren't really "at" church, we need to be more intentional to be around Jesus in other ways. We need to look for opportunities to experience God in less clinical, less academic, less work-related ways. What is one thing you could do to make Jesus more than just a job to you?

silence to violence Sep 24, 2013

I have been a tech person in the local church for the majority of my life. Can I really be that old? Yes, that is the answer.When I look back into the dim early years of existence, I remember a time when I used to get pretty frustrated with people. I mean really frustrated. Having the music director add an instrument at the last minute would send me over the edge. Getting a call late on Saturday night to bring some large thing the next morning would usually send me into a fit. People repurposing equipment without telling me would also get me all riled up.If I think about it, much of the things that drove me crazy were people ignoring my boundaries. I felt like no one had any respect for my life or what I needed to do my job well.Photo by Saad Chaudhry on UnsplashFrom the outside looking in, what most people saw was me going from "silence to violence", a phrase I read in Joseph Grenny's book Influencers. To the people I was working with, they knew me as a pretty quiet person, until I would suddenly explode.From my perspective, it seemed like I had communicated my needs to people, and that they should have known that they were violating our agreements. I need all the band information on Friday so that we can come up with a plan for how we are going to make it all fit on Sunday morning. Or because we are portable, I need to know what you need to be thrown on the trailer by Saturday morning so that the volunteer driver can make sure it makes it to church.In reality, I wasn't communicating. At least, not on a regular basis. I made assumptions that other, non-technical people understood my world as much as I did. It turned out that they just didn't care. And not in a bad way. The reality is that they have a ton of other things to worry about just making their own thing happen.How can I communicate on a regular basis what I need to get the job done well without seeming like a nag?The creative people we work with will always have ideas that outpace the realities of the equipment we have and the time available. And they should have these ideas. It is our job as technical artists to foster these ideas and help shape them into what can be accomplished.Instead of hearing an idea and getting silently angry because there is no way to do that with the resources we have (and you should know this), we need to communicate often about what is possible.The idea-generating people aren't out to get you, they are just trying to generate ideas. Have you ever tried to come up with the idea out of thin air? It is not easy. Let's not make it more difficult by passive-aggressively wishing people would consider the technical feasibility of their ideas. That's your job.For the partnership of the creative and technical arts to work, we need lots of communication. Don't hold it all in and then explode. Work things out along the way, with grace for each other.

we all want the same thing Sep 16, 2013

I'm a technical artist. I want the execution of the service to be flawless. You see me as an uptight, perfectionistic, idea crusher.You are a creative artist. You want to keep things loose and organic. I see you as lazy with a lack of regard for what it really takes.Photo by Kalle Kortelainen on UnsplashThese are pretty severe extremes. I'm not sure that we ever talk in these terms, but they do tend to exist on some levels, on many teams.I would argue that in reality, we are closer than we appear.I believe that in most of our churches, the technical artists (the people in the booth) and the creative artists (the people on stage) essentially want the same thing. We want to create an environment where God moves in our services. We want to see our gifts and talents used in ways greater than ourselves. We don't want to fail…we want to succeed.The challenge is our perspectives. I have a list of things that really matter to me that you don't seem to care about at all. And you have your own list of things that I frankly don't care about either. From these perspectives, when we start talking about how to make our services amazing, it is no wonder that we experience some tension.So what do we do about this tension? I don't think we can wish it would go away because as Andy Stanley says, it is a tension to manage. I would maybe go one step further and say that it is a tension to celebrate.When we look at our services, it takes the full range of talents and expertise to make it all work. Musicians, lighting designers, worship leaders, CG operators, pastors, audio engineers…the list could go on. Without each of these people contributing their part, the whole thing wouldn't work.God made each one of these people a certain way. He wired each one to care about certain things and not about others. He created the camera operator to see interesting compositions and the vocalist to interpret music with their voice. With each skill and each type of person, there are corresponding development tracks and preparation techniques and execution requirements to achieve the desired outcome for each discipline.With this diverse group of people comes…wait for it...a diverse group of people.To isolate ourselves and only care about our own process is not how God designed the body of Christ to function. Yes, we all need to care deeply about our talent, but we also have to be willing to let go of our grip for the benefit of the whole.4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. - 1 Corinthians 12:4-6When you boil it all down, we all want the same thing: God to move in our services through my individual contribution. We all have different contributions with different needs. How can I fight for what I need, while at the same time celebrate you fighting for what you need?We all want the service to be great, we just have different ways to get to great.

does God speak…to me? Aug 31, 2013

When was the last time you heard from God? When was the last time you were listening for God's voice? As a tech person, I tend to find myself back in the booth just trying to facilitate what other people have heard from God. Hearing from God is something that happens to other people.I have been reading my way through the gospels and right now, John the Baptist has just seen Jesus for the first time and says "This is the Son of God." Throughout this encounter with Jesus, John is saying things that we would consider not normal: doves descending, voices telling someone what to do, God's son showing up. Again, these are all things that happen to other people, whether that's in biblical times or just other people I hear about.Photo by Brett Jordan on UnsplashI got to thinking, that I don't expect anything remotely like this to ever happen to me. I live my life, I make choices, I pray, I journal, I go to church…but I don't typically expect to have God speak directly to me.The sad part is that I would say that I have had at least 5 encounters with God that I can't explain, and yet I still assume that God speaks to other people and I just facilitate that. My life would be very different if I hadn't responded to those promptings.What would my life look like if I really expected God to speak? Or what if I slowed my life down enough to actually have space to listen for His voice?Now I'm thinking, it is one thing to hear God's voice, but John the Baptist actually did something about it. He got down to business baptizing people, wearing burlap, and eating locusts.Taking this a step further, what about the promptings I get that I don't act on? What would happen if I followed these promptings and trusted God for the outcome?I feel like this applies beyond big life decisions to everyday life. I had a season in my life a few years ago where I felt very unsettled and wanted God to give me the answer to what to do with my life. Instead, every time I asked the question: "God, what do you want me to do with my life?", I would put my pen down and wait for an answer, and it was always something like, apologies to this person for what you said yesterday. I would get so frustrated. I'm not doing that! Where's the big answer?Eventually, I realized that if I am unwilling to follow a prompting to apologize to someone or to give a gift anonymously to a person or write a blog post about hearing from God; why would I think that God would entrust me with some bigger life-altering word.

over communicate and don’t undersell Aug 26, 2013

I am continually amazed at how expensive production equipment can be…I can only imagine what non-technical people think of the prices!We have been in the process of upgrading a space here, and we are choosing to not go for the best long-term solution, but rather a really solid intermediate step. In other words, we aren't even talking about wireless mics or changing out the 4:3 screens for 16:9 or doing any sort of lighting upgrade; and it is still a ton of money. Just for the basics of audio.I have learned (or relearned) a few things in this process.Photo by Huma Kabakci on UnsplashIf I think it is expensive and I understand what needs to happen technically, imagine what it is like for a non-technical church leader who only understands that it is going to cost a lot. I probably still haven't done a great job of this, but I have been trying to over-communicate what can and can't be done, and why things cost what they do.The leaders at my church, and yours, need to know that we are being responsible for the money that has been donated by the congregation and that what we are purchasing will advance the ministries of the church and not just be a bunch of cool new toys for the tech team.The other big thing I have gotten a new perspective on is that it doesn't help anyone if I undersell the idea. If after working through what is needed, I shouldn't back down from the realities of what needs to be done.As a type 9 on the enneagram scale, it turns out that I don't love conflict. When I get into situations where people are pushing on why things need to cost so much, I find myself trying to figure out how we could do it for less. While working hard to make things the least expensive they can be is a necessary exercise and a responsible way to spend the church's money. However, if it needs to cost a certain amount in order to achieve the desired results, there is no reason to try to hide or downplay that.So maybe to summarize what I'm learning, over-communicate and acknowledge that equipment is expensive. But also, don't back down from what is needed to achieve the desired results. If the needs of the ministry cost "x", don't undersell to "y" and then not really help the ministry.

nostalgia is a dangerous form of comparison Aug 20, 2013

I just read an article in the Chicago Tribune about a guy who took a trip through Europe using the EuroRail pass. It turns out he was reliving a trip he took 30 years ago, just to see if he could do it now that he was 20 pounds heavier and had gotten used to staying in nice hotels and eating great food.Photo by Girl with red hat on UnsplashAs he was living through the challenges of traveling for 15 days through Europe as a middle-aged guy, he realized that all his memories of his previous trip were perfect. He had fabricated a trip where nothing bad happened, and the experience was once in a lifetime.This reminded me of a quote from Brené Brown's book, Daring Greatly:"Nostalgia is a dangerous form of comparison."For Alan Soloman, the traveler, in this case, trying to compare his most recent trip to his first one might have ruined the entire experience for him. Realizing that his brain had fabricated a fairy tale of the earlier trip, helped him to enjoy the ups and the downs of his train trip through Europe.In my context, I often think back to my days at Kensington Church as without flaw. Even here at Willow Creek, we can sometimes get caught up in reliving the glory days. This makes me think of a couple of things. One is that, like Alan, most of what we remember is made up, and never quite happened. The second is that while we can learn from the past, only talking about the past doesn't help move things forward.As a technical artist, much of my existence involves working with other people's ideas. Not that I don't have my own ideas, I just don't exercise that muscle very often. Because of that, it is easy to reach back in time and just compare what isn't working today with what worked in the past.How can I stop using the past as a solution for the future? Understanding the past is essential for not repeating the same mistakes over and over again, but the future needs new ideas and new thoughts.

perfectionism is a perception Aug 11, 2013

I'm coming down off the Summit experience, and have a brain full of stuff to process. For those of you who were a part of pulling off the experience at sites all over North America, thanks for your partnership and your commitment to excellence. I always love the way we can come together to technically support such a far-reaching event.One of the things I like to do in preparing for the Summit each year is to read as many of the books written by the speakers as possible. This helps me get my mind wrapped around the content of each session, and since I interact with all the speakers, it helps me get to know them in some way before I meet them. It also makes it easy to make small talk about the topic they are passionate about while we are getting them mic'ed up.This year, Brene Brown spoke about the science of shame and vulnerability. I have been listening to her book "Daring Greatly" which I would highly recommend to every technical artist I know.Photo by Bradley Pisney on UnsplashHere's a quote that I love:"Perfectionism is more about perception than internal motivation. Perception is impossible to control."As tech people, we tend to get accused quite often of driving for perfectionism. That our attention to detail or our need to know exactly what is going to happen is because we want things to be perfect. That flawless execution is the highest value.For me and for the team I have the privilege to lead, we do care about flawless execution, but it isn't because that's what matters most or because my self-worth is wrapped up in a service with no mistakes in it. The internal motivation is to remove potential distractions from people's experiences. The goal is to make production as transparent (sounds better than invisible) as possible…that people are focused on worshiping or hearing the message with nothing getting in the way.I am pretty comfortable with the fact that I am not a perfectionist. I like to do my very best, which is all I can expect from myself. With that, I am uncomfortable with being labeled a perfectionist, which is a perception.While it might be impossible to control people's perceptions, as Brene states, I need to do my very best to try to change that perception. I can't expect people to understand my motivation or my team's motivation if I am not continually casting a vision for why we do what we do. I'm not so worried about the random people that come up to the booth and complain about the volume. I'm mostly interested in helping the people I work closely with understanding why I am after so much information, or why rehearsing things matters so much to my team.What is your internal motivation for a flawless service?What are some ways that you could help change the perception people might have of perfectionism?

a physicist’s guide to leading up Jul 30, 2013

Clarity and accuracy of statement are mutually exclusive. - Niels BohrNiels Bohr won the noble prize in 1922 for his work in atomic structure and quantum mechanics. To simplify: he was a rocket scientist before there were rockets.Photo sourced from Wikipedia/Public DomainHere's a guy that understands the mysteries and complexities that most normal humans can't even begin to fathom. It doesn't seem like a shock that he would struggle to communicate what is going on at the atomic level to normal everyday people. He could either be clear and simple, or accurate.As a technical artist in the local church, I am always trying to figure out better ways to communicate to those above me, so they can understand. When something goes wrong, how do I reduce the complexity into an understandable statement? When it is time to replace a piece of equipment, how do I communicate the reasons that make sense for the organization?Before reading this quote, I would say I had been shooting for both clarity and accuracy at the same time. Now the challenge seems like figuring out the balance between the two…or is it one or the other, which is what mutually exclusive means.It is important for our churches, that we figure out how to lead up. That we are able to fulfill the role we have in the body of Christ and provide our leaders with the information they need to help make great decisions. Communicating with an accurate statement usually gets non-technical people lost. Sometimes communicating with clarity feels like not I'm not offering enough information.One of the things I have learned over the years is the importance of leading up; the necessity of speaking in a way that leadership can understand what I am saying. As a technical person, it can be easy to speak in dBs and foot-candles, which don't mean anything to anyone not involved in production. I have spent a lot of time trying to craft statements and ideas in ways that are understandable to the people leading me.This idea that clarity and accuracy of statement can't exist in the same space, is freeing to me. It isn't about trying to cram everything into a statement that is clear, but it is about trying to be as clear as possible. It is important to understand the topic enough to speak with accuracy, but it is only necessary when asked to be more specific.As you try to lead up to those above you, are you trying to be as accurate as possible, and probably losing people's understanding of the words you are saying? Or are you able to communicate with clarity, and not worry about the intimate details that just bog down the big idea?Most of us technical people don't need help with the "accuracy of statement" side of things. We understand the situation in minute detail. But, if we are going to be effective at our roles as technical artists in the local church, we need to become masters of restraint, so that we communicate with clarity.

tense or intense Jul 27, 2013

Such similar words with potentially different meanings.I have been reading the book Multipliers, by Liz Wiseman. I have been amazed at how familiar the content feels to many of my blog posts, especially the most recent set about responding to mistakes.Photo by Jr Korpa on UnsplashAlong the way, Liz asks the question,"Do you create a tense work environment, or an intense work environment?"I was working with a crew on a large event, and we were cranking out the work. Not only that, we were working well together, thinking for ourselves, and having a good time along the way. At a certain point, another team member joined in, someone with authority to make decisions on what we were doing. The atmosphere completely changed in a matter of seconds. Everyone stopped working, stopped thinking for themselves, and stopped having fun. I was pretty shocked at the difference one person can make in the environment, but there it was right in front of me.As a leader in production, it is our job to get work done through a team. The task to be done is too big for us to do it by ourselves, and so figuring out how to leverage people is a key skill that needs to be learned.In this example, the leader was trying to create an intense work environment, one where we are getting tons of work done efficiently. Instead, he was creating a tense work environment, one where people are afraid to make decisions for themselves.In time, what I noticed was that people would end up just sitting around waiting to be told what to do. Instead of diving in and engaging with the work that needed to get done, everyone just turned off their brain and let this leader tell them exactly what to do.In the world of live production, things get tense. No question. However, do I need to add to the tension by making the people more tense? Does my leadership help people work with intensity or just be tense?

responding to mistakes, part 3 Jul 17, 2013

Maybe there aren't actually 3 parts to responding to mistakes, but there is one more big idea:Relax.It is so easy to think that a mistake is the end of the world. Worse things have happened.Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on UnsplashI think it is great that we care deeply about creating environments that are distraction-free, allowing people to experience God without production getting in the way. However, I think it is easy to take ourselves too seriously.Work hard. Cover your bases. Respond to mistakes. Figure out how they won't happen again. Then get over it. Move on.I was having a conversation with a co-worker today, and as we were talking about a mistake that happened this past weekend, it dawned on us that even if we replaced whole systems, it wouldn't eliminate the possibility of a failure.Our job as technical artists is to make sure that mistakes don't happen. As flawed humans, we must realize that mistakes will happen. The unforeseen happens. The unplanned for happens. You can't spend enough money to make mistakes disappear forever.We must push ourselves to do our very best, eliminating mistakes; then we have to let them go. If you are slacking, and mistakes are happening, that is one thing; get it together. But if you are doing your best, if you are practicing excellence, then give yourself a break.Perfection is the only answer to no mistakes, and that isn't possible.

responding to mistakes, part 2 Jul 11, 2013

As I have been thinking more about how to respond to mistakes, (check out part 1 here) one of the challenges that I face is knowing when to jump in and take control and when to let things play themselves out.For many of us, working with volunteers each week, it can be really easy to just do most of the difficult stuff ourselves, because we know how to do it and it would be so much faster to just do it ourselves. In the short term, this saves us time each week. In the long term, we are spending a lot of time on stuff that other people could learn to do and thrive at.Photo by Joshua Hanson on UnsplashThe trouble with planning for the long term is that it requires living through a certain amount of immediate pain. For someone to learn how to do something requires them to live through all that comes with it: the obvious parts, the parts that are easy to forget about, and the crisis that can happen in the midst of it.For people to feel ownership, and to feel like they are not being micromanaged, they need to be responsible for all of the above; the good and the bad.As a leader, it is important to not give people too much ownership, if they can't handle it. Responsibility is something that needs to get released over time, in ways that give the greatest chance for the person to succeed at the task.OK, so let's say that we have given someone appropriate amounts of responsibility, and something bad happens in the moment. How do we decide when to jump in and when to let the person figure out what is happening?First of all, I wait a few seconds, allowing the other person time to react. Seconds seem like hours, but I try to remember that it is only seconds.During these few seconds, I try to measure how big the mistake really is. Will the service come to a standstill? Will only a few people notice? Could I solve the problem faster than the person in the seat?Depending on the answer to questions like these, I will do one of three things: let the person figure it out, offer a verbal suggestion, grab the fader myself. Each response will be in direct correlation to what I know of the situation and the person in the situation. If I let them work through it, will it tank the service? Will jumping in save the service?Regardless of what I choose to do in the moment, I always do 2 things after the moment.I make sure that I talk through the mistake with the team, figure out how/why it happened and how to make sure it doesn't happen again. Critical to following up on a mistake is to make sure that your team understands why it was bad, and what values the mistake might have violated. Without this step, it doesn't matter how you respond in the moment if you don't have a mechanism for correcting the mistake.The second thing I do is to take the heat for the mistake myself. I don't throw the team under the bus, I own the mistake. If I am the one deciding whether to jump in or not, I need to be the one who represents that decision. Generally speaking, mistakes can be linked to a process issue, not a people issue. I will always blame a process before telling my leadership that a team member is bad. The process could be cue sheet related, it could be that person wasn't ready to sit in the seat (my decision), or there is a missing step in getting ready for the service.There is never one right answer to the question of when to take control. Do you always default to taking control, or do you weigh each situation differently depending on the person and the scenario?

responding to mistakes, part 1 Jun 28, 2013

After the last 2 posts, “Don’t screw up” and “Don’t, Don’t screw up”, it seemed like there was another dimension to the idea of creating a culture of people doing their best out of fear of failure or because they are freed up to bring their best to the table.As a leader, much of that culture is created in the heat of the moment. During a live production, when things are going great or going down the tubes, how are you dealing with these situations? Not only how you are treating your people, staff, or volunteers, but how are you personally handling all the moments that make up a live event, good and bad.Photo by Jason Dent on UnsplashOne huge way to create a culture where people aren’t scared into doing their best is when things are going really well during a service. It is important to celebrate the wins.When people are doing a great job, following the worship leader to a song that wasn’t planned, a lighting look that exactly matched the moment, or the perfect mix (not really possible, but you get the idea); do you let the members on your team know that they are killing it?Sometimes I like to respond in the moment with a “Great job”, but not at the expense of distracting that person from the task at hand. Over the last few years, we have been doing what we call “Time of Affirmation” at the end of our Saturday night service debrief. I noticed that we were spending lots of time talking about what wasn’t working and we never talked about all the great things that had happened because people were doing great work.There are a couple of things I love about the Time of Affirmation. Knowing that we will be publically talking about things that went well helps me and others on the team be more aware in the moment, looking for great work. It helps us see the good during the event instead of just the mistakes. The other thing I love about it is that people are being publically affirmed.I don’t do my job so that people say “way to go!”, but it is great to hear, and motivates me to keep doing my best. The people on your team need to know that someone noticed their attention to detail, or their hustle at a particular moment, or passing on word from the band that the monitor mix was like bathing their ears in champagne.As a group of people that are always trying to eliminate distractions, we tend to only focus on the distractions. While it is part of who God made us to be, we can’t survive long on only pointing out all the things that were done wrong.Do you take time to celebrate the great things happening on your production team?

don’t don’t screw up Jun 25, 2013

In the last post, I talked about people being motivated to do great work through the fear of failure. This post will talk about motivating people to bring their best work to the table.A few years ago, an audio engineer I used to work with came to the booth at Willow Creek. He started to tell a few people about his most memorable moment working with me. I began to brace myself for what he was going to say.Photo by Adi Goldstein on UnsplashI was TD’ing an event where the band kicked in and it sounded amazing, except the string section was muted. I leaned over to this guy and calmly whispered “String section.” He figuratively kicked himself and unmuted the strings. As he was dialing it in, I then leaned over and calmly whispered “Lead vocal.”He was devastated that he had ruined that moment, and was so appreciative that I didn’t jump all over him while it was happening.What a relief! There were many crazy moments over the years we had worked together that he could have chosen to talk about.We had worked together for about 5 years, over 15 years ago. The fact that this was what he could remember tells me a few things.This guy had a sense that he deserved to be yelled at for his poor performance. What he did was unacceptable. I agree it was. But my history with him told me that he wasn’t characterized by missing audio cues. This guy normally nailed it every time. Knowing this was the key to my response.If he was known for forgetting to turn mics on, I wouldn’t have entrusted our main service to him. I would have put him in a lower priority room where there was space to learn the basics of production.How a person performs is in many ways, a leadership issue.On one hand, I need to determine if someone is ready to perform a particular task. Anytime someone starts doing something new, there is always a level of risk. My job as a leader is to determine if the risk is worth it based on the long-term gains. In this example, this wasn’t the first time he had mixed FOH, so the risk vs. benefit assessment had already happened.On another hand, what do I do when mistakes happen? Do I just let them go? Do I assume the person making the mistakes is OK with it? Or do I assume that they are as frustrated as I am?Since assuming is always a bad idea, a conversation needs to happen to clarify what is important and to restate any values that need to be brought to the surface. However, for me, when I do have a conversation, my starting point will be that the other person is as disappointed with the mistakes as I am.Once I’ve put someone in the seat, I want to empower them to do their best. I didn’t want this audio guy’s motivation to come from how I might respond if he messed something up. I wanted him to do his very best because he wanted it to be the very best.Once we have defined the essentials of what needs to happen, I want him to be freed up to go with his instincts. I want his first thought to be “How can I build the best mix that represents what the band is doing and that can engage the congregation the best?” Instead of “What am I forgetting this time that will send Todd over the edge?”The don’t screw up version of this gets his mind off of doing his job and making someone not mad. The bring your best version puts his mind on the things he needs to do in order to do amazing work.Are you volunteers worried about making a mistake more than they are worried about doing a great job? As a leader, have you set them up to succeed or should they be learning the basics of production in another environment?I think there is another post involved here, about how to respond in the moment when mistakes do happen. You can either make things worse or just less worse. There is no real way to make things better, it is just about minimizing the damage done.

don’t screw up Jun 21, 2013

Why do you do a good job? What motivates you? In the realm of live production, different things drive different people. In the church setting, you have people who are motivated by the chance to help spread the Gospel through the use of technology. Some people want to fly under the radar and not take risks. Some are so burnt out, it is hard to figure out why they are still doing it at all.But what about doing great work? I mean doing some amazing work. For those who are doing it, what motivates you to perform at the top of your abilities, to do your very best?This is not a “Jesus” answer, question. I’m not trying to over-spiritualize the topic here.Photo by Clark Tibbs on UnsplashAs a leader, I’m often thinking about how to get the best out of people. In my experience with live production, I have noticed leaders motivating their production teams to great performance in one of two ways: out of a fear of failure, or freeing people up to bring their very best of who they are.Let’s tackle the first one: Doing great work by not failingThis is almost like the idea in sports, playing not to lose instead of playing to win. Playing not to lose in a production setting means I’m just trying not to screw up or make a mistake. I’m playing everything safe because I don’t want to cause something bad to happen.If creating a distraction-free environment is one of the things you are trying to create, of course, you don’t want mistakes to happen. We’re attempting to remove all obstacles from people’s experiences. If you are a gifted technical artist, this should be one of your core values. However, not making mistakes is not all there is.We used to have a joke here that would involve someone saying right before we started an event “Don’t screw up!”. It was meant to be funny, but as my wife would say, all kidding is a half-truth.Whether we mean to or not, we had created a culture where fear of being yelled at was the motivation for doing your best work. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure nobody does their best work by wondering when they are going to screw up next.I believe that doing great work comes from a much deeper place than the immediacy of potential failure. We’ll talk about that in the next post.As you lead your teams, what motivates them? Is it a culture of fear of failure?

you are more than perfection Jun 15, 2013

My friend Dennis Choy is not only a pretty awesome person, but he has a saying that I have been hearing in my head lately. Dennis points out that the baseline for what we do as technical artists in the local church is perfection; that we are expected to not make any mistakes while executing a service.Writing it out sounds ridiculous and impossible, but unfortunately, I think it is true. The reality is that it isn’t attainable. Humans are involved, and we aren’t perfect. Things outside of our control can cause bad things to happen.Photo by NATHAN MULLET on UnsplashThe challenge to me is that to have no mistakes as a good goal, and yet we can never achieve it perfectly. The other challenge is to think about tenaciously going after a no flaws service while letting go when the mistakes do happen.I love the fact that I get to do something I love, but when who I am designed to be gets wrapped up in my work performance, or lack of work performance, there’s a problem.I recently had one of the worst workdays of my life. Big-time mistakes on my part. And since then, I’ve been pretty good about beating myself up about it. On one hand, I need to figure out where I went wrong and fix it. I can’t just give up on becoming better through my mistakes.On the other hand, I have not been myself either. My wife said to me this morning, “You aren’t defined by your job.” When she said it, I agreed with her and said “of course” and “you’re so smart” and “blah, blah, blah”. But since she said it, I realized that perhaps I am acting like how well I do at my job is what defines me.When creating life-changing moments through the fusion of the technical and creative arts is something I live and breath every day, and when one of the foundational values I hold to is making a distraction-free environment, it can become very easy to define my self-worth by how well I succeed in these areas.Here’s the reality, God loved me before I existed, even though he knew I would fall short every day. This means that he loves me regardless of how severely I fail each day. I am loved whether a distraction-free environment is perfectly distraction-free or just the best I could do on a particular day. As a leader, on some days I am really awesome at leading my team. On other days, I’m pretty awful at it. God loves me on both kinds of days, and the truth about me doesn’t change.God proved that he loved me in spite of all I fall short in, by sending His son to die for me.This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. – 1 John 4:9See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! - 1 John 3:1The truth of this applies every day and in every situation. It is a part of my successes and failures.Where do you derive your worth from? Do you rely on a flawless service to make you feel valuable?

be easy to work with Jun 13, 2013

This is the second of two posts based on reading Daniel Pink’s book “To Sell is Human”. In the first post, I talked about Dell’s consulting practice value of having a bias for action. Their second value is:Be Easy to Work with.This is like a serious one-two punch. Being motivated to get stuff done, and be great to work with! Are you kidding me?! I want to work with those people! Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on UnsplashWhy does this sound so refreshing? When you are talking about the people I want to work with, of course, I want them to be easy to work with. When you are talking about me, it seems a little trite: “Just be easier to work with.” If it sounds refreshing to me, why wouldn’t it also sound refreshing to someone else who has to work with me?I don’t often think about how easy I am to work with, I usually just fixate on how difficult other people are. If being easy to work with were a value of mine, would I behave differently day today? For the people that I find easy to work with, what are the characteristics that I appreciate? What is it about them that makes me want to work with them?Here are just a few ideas:Solution-oriented. Like I mentioned in the last post, are you a problem solver or do you just like to point out problems? Coming up with answers puts you in the “easy to work with” category. Being someone who likes to roll up their sleeves and figure stuff out makes you someone that people want to work with.There is also a component of being solution-oriented that involves learning how to give feedback well. Sometimes an idea just won’t work. How am I communicating that information? Does the other person still feel like I am for them? The people that I don’t enjoy working with, make me feel stupid with their feedback. Their point might be accurate, but I generally don’t like working with those people.Life is hard. Have fun. Normal, everyday life can be a drag sometimes. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could work hard solving problems and have fun along the way? To build some margin into the schedule to leave some space for not taking ourselves too seriously.Sometimes fun can take over and we aren’t getting serious work done. I’m not suggesting we go that far, but when we say every weekend is like the Super Bowl, and every little thing is an opportunity to lose this big game, that’s just not sustainable in my opinion. Let’s enjoy ourselves while getting some serious work done.Common agenda. For those of us a part of a larger organization, being on the same page is critical for being easy to work with. I have worked with people in the past that have their own agenda. Sometimes this would line up with the common purpose, but every now and then it would be very difficult to get work done because they had an alternative agenda.For the technical artists amongst us, are you more interested in your own boundaries than the mission of your church? Are you driving for the best equipment over any other concern your church has? Does technical excellence matter above all things?Having boundaries and driving for the best equipment aren’t bad things, but if they exist have your highest values above the common good, you might need to take a look at why you work there. These things get in the way of being a person that others want to work with.I love working with people that have a bias for action and are easy to work with. Why wouldn’t I try to be one of those people also?

are you a problem solver or just a problem-pointer-outer? Jun 08, 2013

I really enjoyed listening to Daniel Pink’s newest book “To Sell is Human”, about the idea that most of us spend significant amounts of time doing non-sales selling. Or in other words, we are all in the business of pitching our ideas to those around us, trying to convince them of the merits.Photo by Karla Hernandez on UnsplashOne of his examples came from computer maker Dell’s consulting business. They had two main principles for how they work with clients:have a bias for actionbe easy to work withAs technical artists in the local church, we tend to have a reputation for saying “no” a lot. Being designed to solve problems, it can be really easy to solve those problems by picking apart someone’s idea to the point of not doing anything. This isn’t problem-solving, I would tend to call this problem-pointing-outing. Solving isn’t a part of this equation, you're just telling people what won’t work.This basically feels like the opposite of having a bias for action.However, having a bias for action doesn’t mean that you say yes to everything. Not everything is doable or affordable. Engaging with an idea, diving into the details, asking questions, all with the intent to figure out a way is a bias for action.To work on a solution together, given the boundaries and constraints, is part of what it means to collaborate. If you are always saying yes to every idea or no to every idea isn’t collaboration.A few bosses ago, I had a goal to never say no to any idea he had. I would figure out a way for him to say no. I realize that it sounds sneaky, but it turned me from always being the one saying no, with a bias for inaction, to the person who was engaging with the ideas and helping to come up with a doable solution…a bias for action.Are you characterized by action or inaction? Are you just pointing out problems or are you a problem solver?We’ll tackle this second principle, "easy to work with”, in the next post.

inspired by roger ebert May 31, 2013

The death of Roger Ebert struck me harder than I thought. I am not a huge movie-going person, so I didn’t really pay attention to his reviews. At most, he was just always in the background, and if I wondered if a movie was good or not, I would see what he thought. Living in Chicago, it is also kind of difficult to ignore his presence; his name seems to be everywhere.Photo by Anastasia Petrova on UnsplashI was struck by his passing, when I was listening to a rebroadcast of one of his last interviews on the radio show Sound Opinions from 2006 (If you love rock history, this episode is a good listen). While setting up the replaying of the interview, the hosts commented that he had been struggling with cancer for over 10 years. Over 10 years!Here’s a guy that kept moving forward, in spite of his situation. Roger Ebert pushes on to continue meaningful work, even though he hasn’t been able to speak for the last 6 years. I was humbled by the idea, especially considering the fact that I can so easily get tripped up by the smallest bump in the road.I also thought about all the times I’ve felt like a victim in a particular situation. When stacked up next to the courage that Roger Ebert showed, I’m embarrassed. Roger had a vision for his life and was willing to keep fighting for that idea. He knew what he wanted to be about, and went after it, regardless of obstacles.I guarantee that this was not easy for him. And from the outside looking in, I could totally understand if Roger decided to recede from life and possibly even become bitter for the situation handed to him. Instead, he fought for every ounce of life that was left to him.There are 2 things here for me, and hopefully you:Do I have a vision for my life that I am willing to fight for, regardless of the obstacles?Am I fighting for it?

gravity and levity May 29, 2013

Not just two words that end in -vity.The work that we do as technical artists in the local church, tends to fall in the category of intense.Not only is there a level of intensity around doing live events, but there is something about doing something different every week, that makes a lot of the process more last-minute than any of us would like. Not surprisingly, this doesn’t make things less intense. Flying by the seat of your pants is how most of us end up working.So not only are live events intense, and not only are different live events each week intense but doing them in the church, where it is easy to get wrapped up in eternal issues, is where the gravity comes into play.When you talk about creating a distraction-free environment, it is because we don’t want anything to get in the way of people hearing the message of Christ. If someone isn’t able to hear because production is getting in the way, this weighs heavily on the technical artist in the local church.I take my role very seriously, as we all should.OK, so we’ve established that being a technical artist in the local church can be intense and be accompanied by loads of gravity. So if things are going to be intense regardless, I’d like to enjoy the process along the way. Levity.Photo by Rendy Novantino on UnsplashI’m not saying that every meeting or each moment in the booth should be about cracking jokes, but I would say that there isn’t any reason to not have fun as we are serving the church together.(Side note: I’m not talking about having fun at the expense of other people, which can be easy to do in the cynical world of the production booth.)I have a theory that most people start serving in production because they like production-y things. They keep serving because they love the people on their team.Creating levity on your team could look many different ways. It could be a light atmosphere while serving together. It could be picnics or field trips outside the normal serving time.For those of you who know me, you know that I love to laugh. I like to enjoy myself while working on a big project. This in no way diminishes my commitment to our team’s missions statement: “to create life-changing moments through the fusion of the technical and performing arts.” I am very serious about this lofty idea.However, it does mean that I want to have fun while working really hard. The goal isn’t to have fun. The goal is to accomplish the mission, and having fun along the way is part of the journey.Deal with the gravity of what we do by introducing levity into how your team functions. If I don’t enjoy the process, I will eventually be crushed by gravity.What are some ways that you can stop taking yourself so seriously? Where can you introduce levity to your team’s experience? How can you balance out the gravity of what you do with the opportunity to enjoy yourself along the way?

don’t wait for next time May 26, 2013

I have to admit it, I love the church technical arts community. The last few days of #gurus13 have been some of my favorite. After not being very diligent with writing for this blog, I’m sitting down to dive back in, and I only keep thinking about all the amazing interactions I had this week. It feels strange to try to think about something new to write about, when so much has happened that is worth talking about. It is difficult to narrow down to a single post. If I had to pick a single take away from Gurus, it would have to be the servant attitudes and actions of so many amazing technical artists. I know that as a group, we are known for serving the needs of others. Maybe we aren’t always known for serving with a great attitude, but the fact that someone has an idea and we pull it off, is pretty standard. The difference this week was all of the presenters, the worship teams, the staff of Willow Creek Church, were falling all over themselves to serve the technical arts community. For those of you who attended Gurus, and gleaned from the wisdom of this crowd, I hope you have some idea of what a privilege it is to learn from people like Lighting Designer Bob Peterson, or North Coast’s Dennis Choy, or any number of incredible technical arts minds. I can’t even imagine how different my life would be if I had access to all this knowledge when I was first starting out as a technical artist in the local church. Once we have all the sessions up on the Gurus website, you definitely need to share it with your teams. Don’t miss the opportunity to share this amazing content with the people around you. If you were one of the technical artists that shared your knowledge or served the community in some way, you blow my mind. To use your free time to pour yourself out for the benefit of people you don’t know and may never see again, is an incredible example to me. This is taking the idea of servant leadership to a new level. Not only do we all have something to learn from the knowledge those of you in this group, but the idea of giving back to the technical arts community is something we can all be a little better at. Being a technical artist in the local church can be lonely. For those of you who benefitted from your time at Gurus, don’t just go back into your little corner, but expand your corner and include those around you. Whether from other churches or your own volunteer team. Reach out. Give back. Invest in the lives of other tech people. Pour yourself out for each other. Inspire each other to carry on. God designed us to live in community. We had the joy to live in the larger technical arts community for the last few days. There are people in your immediate area just waiting to be gathered and poured into. Don’t wait for the next big thing to experience investing in others and being invested into.

an unbalanced truce May 16, 2013

Remember that one time your monitor mix wasn’t perfect, but you just gave up trying to ask for changes. “I can deal with this.”?Photo by Charles Deluvio on UnsplashOr that other time when you got graphics late on Saturday night, even though you keep asking for them on Friday afternoon and you just decided that since you always get them this late that you should just adjust your schedule?Or that one time…I’m pretty sure we all have stories when we have decided that things would be better if I just got used to this. I’m tired of bringing this up all the time, so I’m just going to stop asking for what I need and adjust.This is a truce of sorts, but it is unbalanced. You have decided to give in, without the other person having the option of doing their part. In my opinion, an unbalanced truce leads to bitterness and resentment. It is what turns most tech people into passive-aggressive, negative people that are difficult to work with.Here’s the thing. Deciding to give in and just deal helps in the short term. I would even say that in the moment, getting the job done is the most important thing. For those of us in the technical arts, when it is “showtime”, there isn’t time to argue about the process or how you hurt my feelings or whatever. It’s time to get it done and deal with it later.Unfortunately what happened to me over the years is that I would forget to follow up, or the intensity of my feelings had diminished and it didn’t seem like a big deal anymore. Then it would happen again, and since I hadn’t dealt with it, the resentment built up. But it’s “showtime” again, so let’s just get it done.Being flexible in the moment is super important, but for me, it had become less about being flexible and more about not dealing with the uncomfortable conversations required to make sure we didn’t find ourselves in the same situations each week.Having an effective working relationship with people requires lots of hard work and trust. When we settle for an unbalanced truce, our trust levels start to decrease and we can become bitter with our situation.I need to commit to myself to go after the actual truce; to fight for real trust and an actual effective working relationship with those around me. And not during “showtime”. I need to invest when the pressure is off.Where have you given in and settled for something, instead of pushing for what’s best?

what is the perfect volume? part 3 May 04, 2013

Over part 1 & part 2 of “what is the perfect volume?”, we have talked about knowing what you are trying to achieve in your services and how volume plays into that, and we have talked about the appropriate volume for each part of your service. In this post we’ll be talking about being responsible with the volume.How many of you have found that guy who has brought their own dB meter to church? You know, to check the volume? With multiple venues going on at the same time, we’ve had a gentleman who would travel from room to room with his Radio Shack dB meter checking up on the levels all around the building.I had several conversations with this person, as well as receiving many emails from people accusing us of doing permanent damage to people’s hearing.I know that it can be really easy to dismiss someone that is so insistent and frankly obnoxious about how wrong you are and how right he is. And while our knee-jerk reaction can be to ignore these people, or at the least wish they would go away, we need to be able to address their concerns.Given that my last posts have been about knowing what you and your team believe about volume and being volume appropriate in each part of the service, these answers aren’t sufficient for someone who is adamant that you are doing actual damage to the ears of the people in the congregation.This is where the subjectivity of volume goes away and where science kicks in. Measuring the volume in real-time, and keeping track of the volume over a period of time become critical to objectively understanding the volume in your space.Photo by Marc Schulte on UnsplashReal-Time MeasurementMeasuring the decibels in real-time helps in the moment, letting you know if it is getting too loud. We have several places that this number shows up, and as the one who answers for the volume levels at my church, I have a good sense that many times 97dB is a little too loud for the first song (back to the idea of the appropriate volume for the appropriate time). Being able to see this number, helps me to react in the moment to what the empirical data is telling me about the volume at the moment.This also helps when a producer or pastor has a question in a particular moment about how loud is it and it is important to know in that exact moment where things are. It’s not about my opinion at that point, but something exact and measurable. Again, something might be too loud from a what’s-appropriate-to-the-moment standpoint, but having a number to measure this opinion against is a huge benefit.Maybe more important than knowing in an instant, is keeping track over time.The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), has set some standards for safety in the workplace, which includes volume levels that have proven over time to be safe for workers.While OSHA standards don’t apply to the people in your congregation, at the very least they apply to church staff, who are exposed to the same volume over time. As a result, the OSHA standards are a great metric for how loud it can be for how long before permanent damage is done to people’s ears.As an example, OSHA PNE (Permissible Noise Exposure) specifies a legal limit of 95 dBA (slow) continuously for 4 hours to avoid hearing loss. Similarly, 80 dB for 32 hours and 100dB for 2 hours.Now, as I see it, there are 2 challenges with trying to keep track of every service’s volume levels. The first is how to actually record dB levels over time and the other is the administrative part of having to keep track of it.To overcome these 2 issues, we have started using TREND, a combination of hardware and software that allows us to set up recording times and then it automatically documents each service on a spreadsheet. The data is collected in an easy-to-understand format as well.Since we really only care about how loud the worship part of the service is, it will take the average of all things that are over the OSHA threshold of 80 dB.

a change of venue Apr 17, 2013

I am amazed at what a change of venue can do to my outlook. No, not the Avid Venue, and no, not my calendar, but my actual outlook.Photo by KAL VISUALS on UnsplashI am sitting at a Starbucks that I have never been to before, and will probably never come again. I am having new thoughts and brainstorming new ways of doing ministry that I would never be able to do from my office.When I think about the times I’ve been able to go to other churches and see how they do things a little differently, I wish I did it more often. Or when I am able to see a show or go backstage, there is always a new perspective on my everyday life.At the end of this day, I am glad I put it on the calendar months ago. I am also I got barred from boarding the train this morning (a story for another time), because it led me to this spot instead.When was the last time you changed your venue?Mark your calendar for a day to see backstage somewhere, or sit in a coffee shop, or be inspired in some way.

planning for something that has never happened before Apr 09, 2013

This week has been pretty interesting. Much of it comes from recovering from Easter. We are a little outside of our normal routine, especially with a hefty load out, and we are working hard to make sure members of the team can have some recovery time. Vacation or an extra day off, whatever.As a result, we hit this weekend with lots of little things undone, making it unpleasant for several volunteers. We started analyzing what went wrong and how we could have prevented them from happening. This is a useful exercise, but I think there is a better way to look at this. Instead of beating ourselves up for what we should have done differently, we should be looking forward to how to prevent something similar from happening again.A process problemSome of what we experienced this week was a result of process: an inconsistent process, a less than thorough process, a letting slip of parts of the process that matter.It is really easy to complain about how the process doesn’t work; in fact I think it is a favorite of most technical artists. The trick is what to do about fixing it for next time. Whether it is in your job description or not, if the current process affects you and your team negatively, how can you contribute to making it what you and your volunteers need?Photo by Emmanuel Ikwuegbu on UnsplashA knowledge problemSometimes things happen that we didn’t plan on, and they aren’t a result of a bad process, but just simply a lack of knowledge. When I first got involved doing production stuff in the local church full time, there was a stretch of time (maybe 6 months) that something went wrong each week, making us start rehearsal late. At a certain point, the music director at my church was like: “what the heck!" The interesting thing about this particular run of problems was that each one was different. I would learn some new thing, fix it, then the next week something completely different would break.I learned 2 things here. One is to over-communicate when things are not going well. If something is broken, tell your worship pastor what’s going on. Having them be in the dark is never a good thing. In my example, from the music director’s perspective, the same problem was happening every week: rehearsal was starting late. From my perspective, a completely new problem would happen each week. I just needed to let him know that we had fixed a particular problem and that a new, unforeseen problem was cropping up this week.A knowledge problem leads to a process solutionThe other thing I learned was that with each new knowledge problem I tackled, I needed a new process to make sure it didn’t happen again.In another example with the same music director, I had taken a vacation and had lined up my best volunteers to make the weekends happen. We were meeting in a high school and had 3 semi-trailers full of gear to haul over to the school and unload each week. One of our cases would come off the trailer each week to be loaded up with things from our offices and then on Saturday would be put on the trailer to go to the school. On one of these weeks that I was gone, a case that never came off the trailer was taken out and left in the offices. As a result, some key equipment wasn’t available for set up, making rehearsal start late, my music director’s favorite thing.When I got back from vacation, he lit into me about how could I let something like that happen, and who was to blame and I can never take another vacation over a weekend again.It dawned on me: how can I plan for something that has never happened before? The answer I came up with is that you can’t plan for something that has never happened. There was no point in wondering how I could have prevented it from happening the first time since I didn’t even know it could happen. The trick was figuring out how it wouldn’t happen again.When something happens that you didn’t plan on, it is either a process problem or a knowledge problem that needs to lead to a proces...

the other keep calm and carry on Apr 06, 2013

Back in the summer of 1940, Britain was getting severely bombed. As a way to keep people moving forward with their lives amid the ruin of their surroundings, the British government developed a series of posters to put around London to help solidify the resolve of the British people to face each day.Many of us are familiar with one of these posters, which Has taken over most gift shops on coffee mugs, key chains, and iPhone covers: Keep Calm and Carry On. Interestingly, this particular poster was never put up. It was saved for when Britain was invaded, which never happened.One of the posters that was used extensively was this:Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on UnsplashYour Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory.There is so much about this particular poster that I love. Not just thinking about it in terms of the Battle of Britain, but about how it can apply to my own life.I don’t often go around wondering how I am going to achieve victory, but if I think about it in terms of effectiveness, for myself or the team that I am working on, this makes great sense.Going to work in the world of the technical arts in the local church and applying personal courage, cheerfulness, and resolution to what I do every day, definitely point things in a direction of being more effective.Courage: To not be afraid of who I am or the opinions I have and to have courage enough to act on them (inappropriate ways, of course), will make the team I am on much better. For the body of Christ to function properly, we all need to have the courage to be our fullest version of ourselves.Cheerfulness: Production people are known for being grumpy. What if I showed up to work with a great attitude each day? What if I didn’t immediately shoot down someone’s idea, but took a minute to engage with what is right with it? To not always look at what is wrong, but to see what is right. How could your team look different if people showed up (yourself included) with cheerfulness?Resolution: No, we are talking about 720 vs. 1080. As a technical artist, this is more about fighting for the things that you were designed to care about. Will you do the necessary work to make your services the best they can be? Even when a relationship is strained will you push through for the sake of the whole team?While we are fighting every day for victory per se, my courage, my cheerfulness, and my resolution will all contribute to my team being the best it can possibly be.