I’m a geek, especially when it comes to music. And while there are several companies that make some pretty good mixing consoles, I tend to lean towards a select few. So this teaser kind of intrigues me. Midas introduced their first digital console, the XL8, two years ago. To the best of my knowledge it has gotten rave reviews from all who have used it.
J
**UPDATE**
For those who wish to see this service click here and then click ALL ACCESS. You can watch the service in either Windows Media (BOO) or Flash. Also, make sure you silence or pause the site’s audio track. For some reason, it keeps playing even while service audio is playing.
Ya know, living in a major metro area, I may have to put up with things like increased traffic, but it definitely has its perks. Let’s face it, Charlie Hall and Dan Kimball ain’t gonna be in Monroe, LA ANYTIME soon (if ever). Yet both were at 7|22 tonight.
And yes, I’m still a geek. Had to get a pic of the Venue console they use at Buckhead Church.
J
I haven’t blogged in awhile, so I figured I’d post some random ramblings……
Is it me, or is BrandsMart one of the most wacked out places to shop at? I went in there a few weeks ago to pick up a VGA cable and the first thing I noticed was a display rack labeled “Bluetooth Headsets”. The rack was full of leather cell phone cases.
Yeah.
So I had Dan call ahead to make sure they had the cable I needed, yet when I ask the sales associate where I could find a male-to-male VGA cable, he replied “we don’t have any”. Mind you, this was in the ELECTRONICS DEPARTMENT. But to make sure, he asked the associate next to him, who also gave me the same answer. So here I am, disappointed, wondering where the heck is the guy Dan spoke to on the phone, when I notice a cable on a rack a few feet away. Sitting in plain sight is an entire rack of male-to-male VGA cables.
Ten feet in front of the two sales associates.
Problem solved, right? Oh, I needed batteries too. But hey, at least they’re at check-out.
So I grab 3 packs of batteries and head over to the counter. The associate begins ringing me up when she decides to notify me of a BrandsMart policy: you can’t purchase more than two packs of batteries at a time.
$*@!&!
WHAT!?!?
It wasn’t her fault; she even paged the manager so he could override the computer and allow me to purchase three packs. She admitted it was a stupid policy, yet my mind is still trying to fathom why. Are they that much cheaper than other stores? No. Is their stock in batteries running low? No. The only thing I could think of was it has to be due to 9/11.
Crazy, I know. But it’s the only logical answer. Someone on BrandsMart’s corporate level must have been so overzealous in their patriotism that they think someone is actually going to somehow make a bomb out of batteries, and we can’t let them do that! So let’s put a limit on the amount of batteries people can purchase. Never mind the fact that you can go to the gas station down the road and buy batteries, and you can go to Wal-Mart, and Target and you get the point.
So, onto this past weekend: the sunburn from Hell.
Seven Hills Movie Night was amazing. Met a lot of cool people, got to hang out with great friends and got to watch a totally awesome movie.
Okay; one of those statements is false; I’ll leave it to you to figure out which one.
However, Saturday was a bit different. Still got to hang out with cool people and work for Jesus, but from now on, if it requires prolonged exposure to sunlight, someone make me wear a hat!
I don’t mind sunburn on my arms, neck, legs, wherever; just not on my head! Talk about major suckage.
Last, but not least, don’t you hate it when you get a voicemail where someone says something along the lines of, “My name is ?????? and your resume came across my desk/email/computer today and looked intriguing, so I wanted to give you a call. Please call me back at ???-???-????.”.
Yeah. Don’t tell me any company info, who you work for, how my resume came across your desk/email/computer or anything else. In times past I would call back immediately, but I’ve been scammed and spammed so many times it isn’t funny anymore. I mean, if you can’t at least tell me who you represent or a small bit about your company, you aren’t worth my time.
Anyways, sorry for the ranting. I may be doing some overhaul on the blog soon. Might change hosts, might not. If I can keep the address the same, or at least have this one redirect to a new one, all will be cool.
J
Mom and I visited Buckhead Church tonight. For those that don’t know, it’s a satellite of North Point. As one person described it, “Definition of a mega-church? 3,000 people show up to a church where they watch the pastor deliver his sermon via video because the main church is 30 minutes away and full”.
Yup.
Awesome experience though. Really inspiring as a church planter to see young churches that are doing so well. North Point is less than 15 years old, and they have two (yeah, 2) sanctuaries (3 services in each) at their main campus in Alpharetta, plus Buckhead Church in Atlanta and Browns Bridge in Cumming. I could go on and on about everything there, but you really have to experience it for yourself. Even though it is huge, it feels as intimate as my church. The people are all friendly and I caught myself conversing with people without even knowing their names. So it is possible to have a mega-church where you are more than “just a number”. And I gotta give props to worship leader Carlos Whittaker (look in my blogroll for Ragamuffin Soul). First off, dude has sleeves. I love that! But, as the production guy at my church, I rarely get a chance to just stand back and worship. I mean, I love what I do, and I believe God has called me to production and music ministry, but every now and then it is nice to go to a place and not have to worry about the sound or video or whatever, and just worship. And Carlos and his band came with their A game. They were prayed up and ready to lead us in worship.
Then they had two baptisms, which was really cool. Each person gave a video testimony and they was baptised.
Finally, we got to see part three of “Letters to the Next President”.
Yup, Andy Stanley on a giant, HD screen, center stage.
Really good message too.
But there is one thing I can’t leave out: they opened service with a Beatles cover band. Full-on “mop top” costumes and wigs, even down to matching suits and the bass player even had a lefty bass shaped like a stand up bass, just like Paul McCartney! Anyways, they performed “Revolution” and nailed it. And the camera shots were projected in black and white on the screens; little things like that are what make it special.
Anyways, all-in-all, great service.
J
P.S.
Added two pics from Buckhead I found online to give you guys an idea of what it looks like. Looks huge (it is), but the seating is really intimate. You don’t realize you’re sitting amongst 3,000 people. And, as a geek, I love that the FOH booth is on the main floor, so the FOH engineer hears exactly what the majority of the congregation hears.
