We just finished and posted our latest Easter video, “The Cross: A Curse For Us?” We also posted some new Cross Stills that make great backgrounds for songs, Scripture slides and other text. Check out the video and let us know what you think:
We’re working on an Easter video that I’m really excited about. It’s a poem, read by this really great slam poet spoken word dude, set to some fantastic piano music, and backed up by high end HD footage of a cross. Did you get all that? Anyway, I know we’re a little late to the Easter party with this one, but I’m really pleased with it nonetheless. Here’s a still I took while shooting footage for the video (keep an eye out for some of these stills going up on the website):
Easter is a big deal. Palm Sunday. Good Friday. Resurrection Sunday. These are seismic events in God’s redemptive storyline. Add to that the fact that tons of people who aren’t regularly in church are in church on Easter and you have a situation where, as a pastor or worship leader, you feel a great deal of pressure to deliver great services that powerfully reflect the Gospel of Christ. So what do you do?Using video in your Easter services certainly won’t solve all your problems, but church videos are what I know, and so I would like to give you a few reasons why I think using video can help to alleviate some of the pressure you feel to deliver powerfully at Easter.
Video…
1. Meets people where they are. You’ve heard it before but it’s worth repeating: We live in a visual culture. Incorporating video and other forms of visual media into your service will put people at ease, so they can settle in and prepare to hear the message. For example, starting the service with a funny clip is a great way to put the congregation at ease.
2. Connects emotionally. Video operates on an emotional level and provides you with a great tool for getting the congregation emotionally prepared to hear your message. Using a Sermon Illustration video is an excellent way to set up your message. The video you choose can illustrate one of your points, demonstrate a situation where people need to hear your message or raise questions that you can then deal with in your message.
3. Gives people space to reflect. Using video is also a great way to guide the congregation into a time of reflection and also helps focus them on the things you want them to reflect on. Use it to start the service to prepare their hearts for what they will hear. Use it during a special time in the service such as Communion to guide them through what you would have them reflecting on. Use it at the end of your message to give them space to think about and respond to what they’ve heard.
In all these ways and more, video provides you with a powerful tool to help do the most important thing at Easter” connect people to the life-changing message of Christ.
We just put up a new Easter video. Check it out:
You can find it on our website HERE
As our way of saying Happy Thanksgiving, enjoy the full version of our Thanksgiving Fanatic video:
This Just In…
We’ve been hard at work on seasonal content these last few weeks. Busy producing four videos simultaneously. Our first of the four is posted on our site now. It’s called Thanksgiving Fanatic and it’s a funny little mocumentary about a guy who’s absolutely crazy about Thanksgiving. We’ll be posting a version to YouTube soon, but until then you can Click Here to check it out on our site.
The guy playing the fanatic is a fabulous actor by the name of Ryan Wickerham. Google him, he’s done some great work. He’s largely responsible for bringing the funny to this short and he also brought in all the other great actors you see in it. It was so exciting to work with such great talent and I’m looking forward to future productions with this cast and crew.
Look for two brand new Christmas illustrations and a brand new New Years illustration very soon.
I know the 4th is still a few days away, but I wanted to send out this birthday greeting. What a blessing to live in a country where we are free to worship God and to follow after Christ. It’s my prayer that we would take advantage of that freedom and allow God to work in and through us to reach people with His life changing message of true freedom. The freedom found only in putting your life fully and completely in the hands of Christ.
We have some great 4th of July resources on our Seasonal Tab. Jump over there and check them out. We made a 4th friendly version of our very popular For Freedom video and we’ve also got a couple of great countdowns for your 4th of July festivities. Click here to peruse our 4th collection. We hope you find something you can use.
I’m going out of town next week, so keep an eye out for some brilliant blog posts from my partner Lee. I’m retreating to the mountains of New Mexico and will be without an internet connection. Although I’ll be spending time with family, I also hope to find time to connect more deeply with God in His beautiful creation.
Happy 4th and God Bless!