FILO Podcast

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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. 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 – darkness, light, and joy! Dec 16, 2022

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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.” A king died for you. God is chasing after you. There is excellent advice in these verses. The reminder to “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” is solid and at least brown-belt-level Christianity. But I hope you can simply stop, breathe, imagine how epic of a story this is, and allow yourself to get overwhelmed by the love of God. I realize that I’m about to undo the critique above, but amid all the work and distraction, blah blah blah, don’t forget to be in awe. Don’t lose the wonder and don’t let this story’s power die on the altar of familiarity. May we be people who exemplify God’s love. May we reflect God’s love towards us into the rest of the world. May we know how deep and wide God’s love for us is. Jesus Christ is Lord. 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 – what time is it? Dec 13, 2022

Show notes

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 calling you to. He is in each and everything you put your mind to. And I promise, if you seek His will first, He will pave the path for your day ahead. He’ll make it clear. 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 – whose story is this? Dec 12, 2022

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

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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!

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