It’s Monday and it’s winter in Canada. If you’re a Canuck, you know that makes for a rough day.
…I’m just glad I’m not this guy
How’s your day going?
Archives For January 2011
The 2011 Macworld Expo just finished and there were many new apps and 3rd party software/devices that dazzled the Mac addicts. One of them that captured my attention was Jammit.
With a main interface that resembles your typical mixer, you can pick and choose which tracks you want to hear, as well as view the notation to learn your specific part. Tracks will be available for Guitar, bass, keys, vocals, and drums.
Here’s their description:
Jammit is the revolutionary play-along software that gives you access to the original multi-track recordings. For the first time, you can isolate the elements that you want to hear in your favorite recordings. Now you can learn to play them accurately with the aid of slow mode, phrase looping and digital transcriptions.
As a drummer who can read notation (but it’s been a while), this demo appeals to me:
Available for iOS devices in the coming months (sign up for announcement), do you think you can make use of Jammit? I wonder if the Christian music industry will jump on this? If so, I can see myself using this to teach parts/sectionals on an instrument that I can’t play. What about you?
This past week Unite Productions, widely known for bringing top Christian bands across Canada, announced that In May they are planning on bringing “GUNGOR” to the Toronto area.
Musicians and those who appreciate true art will not want to miss this experience. If you’re wondering what I am talking about have a listen to this…
Before coming to the concert, if you haven’t, pick up Beautiful Things. You’ll be glad you did.
For more info on concerts from Unite Productions, sign up for their newsletter.
VERDICT: Will you be out in May to catch GUNGOR in Toronto? If so, what about them do you love? If you’re not a fan, why is that so? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Rev. Dr. John Tweedie
I haven’t written many posts about my church or my senior pastor, but today I will. I am privileged to work alongside a man who is admired in many areas. My pastor, Rev. Dr. John Tweedie, is founder and senior pastor of New Covenant Christian Fellowship; is the Chairman for the Canadian Evangelical Christian Fellowship; and is the Chairman for Christians for Israel Canada, and Christians for Israel International.
Sitting under his preaching and teaching ministry at the church for almost three years, I’ve gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for Israel. If you read your Bible, it is impossible to overlook Israel, God’s chosen people. Also, if you are a student of Bible prophecy, you know full well that all eyes will be on Israel. Continue Reading…
In January 2007 I had the awesome privilege of vacationing in Western Australia. During that time in Perth, I also had the opportunity to attend the Planetshakers Conference and was so blessed by the ministry of worship leader Henry Seeley.
One of my favourite worship leaders!
More than his amazing voice and talent, I was impressed with his heart of worship. Even as I sat in his worship workshop, he was sharing the heart of God with us and even led us into an intimate time of worship with, what was then his newest song, Beautiful Saviour.
It’s no surprise, then, that I would take this opportunity to let you know that he has released a new EP, Find A Way.
In the past we’ve had to drive or fly to our neighbouring country, the great USA, to attend quality conferences. Well, all that is about to change! Welcome Create Conference!
The conference will offer 5 streams including writing sessions with our WorshipRises friends. Here’s what the streams are designed for:
Each stream is designed to answer the “HOW” questions. Come prepared to receive practical training and hands-on experience as you connect with leading resource-based tools that will aid you and your ministries in communicating more effectively as a local church.
Here’s a visual of the 5 streams:
Here are the rest of the juicy details:
Date: June 6-8, 2011 // St. Catharines, ON (Canada)
Registration: [click to register]
- Super early bird rate $99.00 / Person >> Before December 31, 2010
- Early bird rate $129.00 / Person >> January 1, 2011 - February 28, 2011
- Regular rate $149.00 / Person >> March 1, 2011 – June 5, 2011
- Door rates $169 / Person
Here’s the official intro video:
Create Conference _ Introduction from Central Community Church on Vimeo.
Hit me up if you plan on going. I’d love to connect before the conference starts.
Twitter has shaped the way we communicate and interact with people, businesses, and yes, our churches in our modern world.
I received a DM from ShareFaith asking the following question:
I took the opportunity to respond with the following list, while I added a few more here:
[Click here to read the full post from ShareFaith]
- Be authentic. Be yourself. Your people know who you really are in person. Don’t try to be someone you’re not on Twitter. (Tell them what you’re eating for breakfast, take a pic and upload it, etc…)
- Network with other pastors around the world. You can follow the “bigger guys” and gain insight and leadership ideas from their world.
- Don’t use it for self-promotion. Instead, promote others that you’re following; let others know who they should follow and why (the benefit of following them).
- Contribute to the Twitter community. Join in on a discussion and give your input. (share relevant links, point people to solutions, etc…)
- Respond to Mentions and DMs when necessary. Not doing so is sending the message that “you don’t care” about those who are connecting with you.
- Share what’s coming up in your next sermon series, church event, conference, concert, etc… . This is different that self promotion, as you are contributing what might be of interest/benefit to others.
- Listen to the conversation. This will give you great sermon material and will put you in line with today’s culture, society.
- Get Feedback. I once threw out a question to my Twitter community that was going to be used in my message the next Sunday. Got great feedback and perspective on the subject (i.e. “3 reasons why you won’t go to church”).
- Save time by linking your Twitter and Facebook accounts. Using a facebook app called Selective Tweets, you can specify which tweets you want to have appear as your facebook status, saving you precious time.
- Create Twitter Lists. This allows you to group the people you follow into any list (category) that you want. For example, here’s what your lists might look like:
- Personal Friends
- Pastors/Leadership
- Worship Leaders
- Ministries
- Sports
Am I missing anything? How are you using Twitter to better yourself and your business, ministry, and church?
Have you tried using your iPad to replace your sheet music or charts? If so, did you simply place it on a music stand? Thanks to IK Multimedia now there’s a new way to take the iPad on stage with you:
The iKlip is a universal microphone stand adapter for the iPad. Here’s what they have to say about their latest offering:
Now you can take your favorite iPad music apps on stage for live performance. The new iKlip for iPad makes it easy for you to use your iPad in any live setting — on stage, in the studio, at school or in the boardroom. With its multi-angle adjustable design, you can now securely position your iPad for optimal viewing and accessibility, while all controls, buttons and connection ports remain free from obstruction.
Interested? Check out this detailed unboxing video of the iKlip:
For $39 USD you get a pretty valuable option as more churches are embracing technology to enhance their worship experience [think North Point's iBand].
Do you see a home for this in the church? Can you see yourself, once and for all, getting rid of your music stand? Or is this just a dreamer’s world?
It’s no secret that I really like blogging. In case you were not aware of it, I started blogging lightly in February 2010 but really buckled things down in September 2010, when I moved over to a self-hosted WordPress blog and purchased the amazing Standard Theme.
Get Your Ministry Blog Running With WordPress
Throughout this process, and with all the change happening all at once, finding a suitable place to host my new blog caused me a great deal of trouble. I didn’t know how to set up MySQL databases; I wasn’t sure how to install WordPress in 5 minutes; etc… . That was true, until I came across DreamHost.
DreamHost offers:
- 1-click install for wordpress
- Unlimited Disk Storage
- Unlimited Monthly Bandwidth
- Unlimited E-Mail Accounts (POP/IMAP/Webmail)
- Free Domain Registration (A $9.95 Value!)
Here’s a look at the backend:
In case it’s still not obvious, DreamHost is a great option for the newbie, and although no hosting service is perfect, DreamHost is fast, easy, fun, and reliable! How do I know? I actually use it for my blogs.
For those of you wanting to give this a try without breaking your wallet, I’ve set up a promo code that will be good for the first year or however many years you sign up for. When using the promo code, the annual $119.40 will be reduced to $48. That’s $4.00 a month (less than a grande white mocha @ Starbucks). So, let others know about it.
Promo Code: JonManna
[before you make the jump to WordPress, you might want to read TentBlogger's guide to migrating from Blogger to WordPress]
Let me know if you jump in. Also, if you have any questions, please let me know. I’ll be glad to help answer them or point you in the right direction.
I met Josh McCabe, young adult pastor at C4 and worship leader for Nine O Five, in November when we hosted a concert with his band and Article One in Brantford. I have to admit, that after some conversation with him, I was really amazed at all that he has accomplished at a fairly young age.
Today is no exception for him and his band as they release their new EP “Live at C4: May This Be…”
As I write this post, I am currently listening through the songs and I am loving what I hear! Some original tunes and some familiar ones that you might recognize. I love live albums and I’d say that this EP captures a glimpse of what God is doing at C4.
Their EP is available today on iTunes (Canada|USA)
Twitter: Josh McCabe // Nine O Five
