Wayne Hedlund

Category: VIDEO

  • Four Things the Church Can Learn From Ben Watson

    Whether you are a fan of the New England Patriots or not, you’ve got to admire Ben Watson in this outstanding play against the Bronco’s last year. Check out this run and then read on.

    Four things the local church can learn from Watson’s great effort:

    • Don’t Look at the Odds
      Everyone was amazed that Ben made that play. I think most were awed that he even tried. He wasn’t interested in finding out if it was wise to go for it, he just did. How many times do we give up before even trying, simply because the odds look too far against us. What would the Bible read like if that’s what the hero’s of our faith did? David & Goliath. Moses & Pharoah. Esther & Haman. Mary. Peter. Paul. Stephen. Dare I say . . . Jesus. Don’t hold back. The ‘odds’ are man made, but we’re living for God.
    • Give Your All
      Watson gave his all in that run. He didn’t hesitate, stumble, or falter. If he had, he wouldn’t have made it. His ‘all’ was everything needed to get the job done. I wonder what would happen if we put that same unrelenting effort towards the ministry? Perhaps our very best effort is exactly the amount needed to fulfill God’s purposes in our church. Is it possible we short-change the work of God simply because it’s easier to run than sprint?
    • Resist the Urge to Compare
      What if Ben Watson saw how fast everyone else was running and used that as a benchmark for what he should expect of himself? Not good. What benchmark do you measure your ministry by? Is it the church you grew up in? The church down the road or one you watch online? None of those should reflect who you are or what you could do in your unique venue.
    • Don’t Give Up
      At some point in that run, Watson had a choice to make. He could keep running or give up. Most of us would have given up. He didn’t. He pressed through the mental wall or ‘dip’ and kept going until the end. The biggest battle we face is inside. We’re regularly faced with people challenges, financial difficulties, and failed attempts to build positive momentum in the church. It’s so tempting to just slow down and go back to the drawing board before the play has even finished. 

    Remember Paul’s words today and take heart.

    “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14

  • Elim Family: BASIC College Ministries

    I have BASIC to thank for introducing me to Elim Gospel Church way back in 1990. B.A.S.I.C. stands for Brothers and Sisters in Christ and is a ministry dedicated to encouraging college students to connect with God through college events/activities, conferences, and the local church. I believe every college student should get involved in a BASIC group (find a campus near you here) or help to start one. Don’t know where to start? How about checking out their upcoming events and check out their website at www.thebasicsite.org! This amazing ministry is led by one of my favorite men of God, Todd Cavanaugh – who attends Elim Gospel Church and seems to be a magnet for local news channels!

  • ‘Invite’ Series by Andrew Manzano

    Andrew Manzano

    I’d like to introduce you to a friend at Elim Gospel Church – Andrew Manzano. Andrew owns his own production company at www.thesoundtank.com and makes some AWESOME video’s for the Christian community.

    A while back I encouraged you to consider ‘spicing’ up your Sunday morning services with the occasional Sunday Service Video Clip. Andrew’s clips have given www.sermonspice.com some great traffic – and for good reason. Check out his “Invite” series below and consider purchasing one or more of them this week!

  • Andy Stanley’s Podcast (for the non-tech Christian leader)

    Pastor Andy Stanley

    If you are a pastor or church leader you are probably familiar with Andy Stanley. If you aren’t, then I recommend you get familiar with him right now. Andy Stanley is a very important voice in church leadership, management and personal growth. You can learn more about Andy right here and you can browse and purchase some awesome books right here.

    This post is meant to be a quick and easy way for you to listen to Andy Stanley’s Leadership Podcast without actually subscribing to the podcast (which I recommend you do – subscribe with iTunes/subscribe with feed-burner). If I were you, I would make it a personal goal to listen to every one of these 25 minute audio clips . . . several times. I also recommend you ask your church leaders and friends to listen to them as well.

    If you are unfamiliar with how to listen to podcasts, then I recommend you watch one of these short video tutorials.

    Subscribe to Podcast in iTunes

    Subscribe to Podcast using Google Reader


    Note: Due to copyright issues, I am unable to provide links to each individual Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast in this blog. However, should you choose to subscribe via Google Reader you can easily see past Podcast’s and listen to them whenever you want.

  • The Rhythm of Failure

    Craig Groeschel

    Do you remember when you learned how to ride a bike? How about your first few times trying to tread water? What can you learn today from that experience? Perhaps it’s time for you to go back to the basics all over again. You still remember how to ride a bike, but I wonder if you’ve forgotten how to learn how to ride a bike?

    This is my fear for many pastors and church leaders. They’ve forgotten about the rhythm of failure. Failure is critical if you want to learn to do anything new. There’s a rhythm within failure that equips and stimulates new ideas and growth.

    It goes something like this:

    • You try.
    • You fail.
    • You learn.
    • You adjust.

    This morning I watched this 10 minute clip from Craig Groeschel. I was encouraged. I needed to hear what he had to say about failure. Among other things, he shares four things we need to take risks and embrace failure in the church.

    I think you need to watch it too. Why not stop what you’re doing right now, put this on full screen, turn up the volume, and give yourself a quick leadership lesson. Perhaps you’ll want to forward this video on to the other leaders in your church as well. You won’t regret it.

  • Love Your Sound Tech As Yourself

    There is someone else on the stage. You can’t see him, but he’s not invisible. His presence rolls of the stage in waves – sound-waves. He lives in a world of high’s, mid’s and low’s – and no, he’s probably not manic-depressive. When he’s ‘on’, you sound fabulous. When he’s ‘off’, you sound boomy, hollow, or possibly demented. He is either your hero or a villain.

    I’m talking about your sound man (or woman). Pixar did a superb job of catching the essence and challenge sound tech’s (and pastors) face every Sunday in this short clip. For copyright reasons, I am only showing you the first 2 minutes. Enjoy.

    [su_vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/33231695″][vimeo 42830604][/su_vimeo]

    Love Your Sound Tech As Yourself
    All kidding aside, your sound tech is a very important part of the Sunday morning experience. He probably knows things about sound that you don’t , and even if that isn’t true . . . well, he’s back there and you’re up here, right?

    It seems that a lot of pastors and church leaders nurse a gnawing frustration when it comes to their sound tech. They never seem to ‘get it right’. It’s too loud, too soft, or just mixed weird. The microphone isn’t working again, the monitors hum distractedly, or you can’t hear the video as it’s playing on the screens. Overall, the relationship tends to be strained.

    I have a suggestion for you. Invest in your sound tech relationally. Ask he and his family over for dinner. Set up occasional meetings with him to just talk shop regarding the Sunday morning experience. Help him understand your values and preferences with sound. Cast your vision for ministry to him. Let him dream with you about the church and it’s future. Help him feel a part and extension of you every single week – after all, he is.

  • The Sunday Service Video Clip

     

    We all have unique preferences regarding how we like our food. Some like it bland, others spicy. Personally, I like my food to have a lot of flavor and spices whenever possible. Everyone who eats with me is pretty used to hearing, “Pass the salt and pepper please.”

    I would like to introduce a couple of websites that can and will add some ‘spice’ to your Sunday morning experience. These clips usually range in price from $5 – $20. Despite the minor expense, they will often help bridge the gap between a good and great Sunday morning experience.

    I highly recommend you check them out today!

  • Sunday Morning Announcements

     
     

    Remember our friend, Charlie Brown from the Peanuts comic strips and cartoons? You probably do, and you probably remember how realistic the sound of the school teacher was during those old fashioned episodes . . . “Wah, wa, wha, wha, wah, waah, wa, wah, whaa, wha, whah, wah.” Wow. Just quoting it reminds me of Jr. High History Class all over again.

    Question. Is that what your congregation hears during the Sunday Morning Announcements? I hope not. The announcements usually get a bum rap. Just for kicks, check off how many of the following are true at your church:

    • You traditionally have more than 3 announcements each week, often 5 or more.
    • You decide what will be announced early Sunday morning.
    • The emcee reads most of the information to the congregation; usually that’s also the first time they’ve personally seen or thought about the announcements themselves.
    • Each announcement is nothing more than a regurgitation of what’s already in the bulletin – a lot of basic information like who, what, when, and where.
    • The emcee sounds like my Jr. High History Teacher.
    • There are no slides or images displayed during each announcement.
    • There ARE slides during each announcement and your 5th grader could have done a better job.
    • The announcements average 5 minutes or more, sometimes up to 10 minutes.
    • The content of each announcement often doesn’t include how to sign up or get more involved.
    • You don’t plan to attend most of what is announced, or you wish you didn’t have to.
    I could go on, as I’m sure you can. I can honestly say that we’ve fallen into every one of these traps at some point or another at Elim Gospel Church. How about you?
     
    Question. What can you do different THIS WEEK to change those patterns? Here are a few random suggestions:
    • Sell Your Announcements.
      If you think it’s important to say, then don’t just say it, SELL IT! The whole point of the announcement is to give people a reason to care. Focus on WHY they should participate, not when and where it’s happening.
       
    • Information is Overrated.
      Seriously. Your people are pretty smart. Most of them know how to read. If it’s in the bulletin or on your website, then point them there to get all the nitty gritty details. When was the last time you saw someone pulling out their pen and writing all the information in their calendar on the edge of their seats during the announcement anyway?
       
    • Find a Good Talker to Do the Talking.
      If you’re going to sell your announcements, then find someone who can and will be passionate about selling them. Monotone is so NOT in.
       
    • Announce Something, Not Everything.
      Ideally, you’ll only highlight 2-3 key activities. I know this means you just might offend your ministry directors – that’s OK. They’re not serving as leaders for themselves, but for the church, right? Right?
       
    • Follow the 4 Minute Rule . . . (wait, I mean 3 minute)
      Make a rule of thumb that you’ll never spend more than 4 minutes on announcements. Offer your emcee a bonus if they can communicate them effectively in 3 minutes. Not possible? Give it a try.
       
    • Create Standards on ‘What’ Will Be Announced
      Not all of your church activities carry the same weight. I recommend you reserve verbal announcements for events that will apply to a large portion of those present in the room OR to people who are still new to your church and may not be sure what their next steps should be.
       
    • Decide on Announcements Ahead of Time
      One of the ways to keep your announcements focused and intentional is to decide ahead of time exactly WHAT will be announced. For instance, is it  possible for you to think through and decide on Sunday announcements for each week a month in advance? You’d be shocked how effective this method can be in clarifying what you will announce, when, and how often.
       
    • Prepare, Prepare, Prepare.
      Your emcee should prepare in advance. Ideally, he or she will know a day or two ahead of time and will PRACTICE communicating the announcements in privacy or in front of a captive audience.
       
    • Creative Announcements
      Mix things up every once in a while with a creative announcement. This doesn’t have to take a lot of time, but will still add value to the service and give people something to talk about. For example, one Sunday we had two men drive into the sanctuary in a golf cart and tee up for a shot to announce our upcoming EGC Open Golf Tournament.
       
    • Video Announcements
      Every once in a while someone will mention to me that video announcements are reserved only for large churches. I have to disagree. You probably already own enough equipment to put together some basic video announcements. (My phone even has High Def Video capabilities.) There are two teens at our church right now who have taught themselves how to edit video’s. One of those teens has created video announcements for the teen program on occasion. Video Announcements can be a simple way to mix things up in your service and ensure your church activities get the attention and focus they need. See below for a few examples of some standard video announcements at EGC. (Note: Our video editor is a professional. You’re VA’s may not look quite as polished as these, at least at first. That said, Dave Bode learned a lot of what he knows about video editing by creating video’s for our church.)

    https://youtu.be/R_n-2o1fa6E

    https://youtu.be/ItcR5f8E0G8

    https://youtu.be/Kt2bxdcn8xs

    https://youtu.be/yWE1_UNYC2w

  • How Great Leaders Inspire Action

    Every single week at your church someone is trying to inspire and motivate others to action. The most obvious example includes the Sunday morning sermon, but there are a lot of other examples too. For instance, it’s likely that your announcements are meant to inspire people to do something (like go to an event or sign up for a class); I hope your offering time motivates others to give too. Here’s the question of the week (perhaps of your career): How inspired are people to be devoted to God, serve in the church, help the poor, and be the men and women God has called them to be?

     
    OK. Now that I’ve got your attention, I dare you to watch this 18 minute video from Ted.com. It’s more than worth your time and may very well change how you communicate with others. Author and speaker, Simon Sinek unpacks a powerful principle in a fresh way. Enjoy.


    Having problems loading/viewing this video? Click this link to watch it at www.ted.com.

     

  • Time Management 101: Eat the Frog

    Perhaps you’ve heard me talk about the book called “Eat That Frog” by Brian Tracy. The premise of the book is that you should try to always begin your day doing your least favorite or most dreaded task first (like eat a frog). A simple concept, but not so simple to do. However, it’s still worth our time and consideration.

    Watch this 90 second video by Brian Tracy
    to get the full picture.

    Image source honewatson.com

    Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”