cheval glass

Recreate 11 Recap

Every year, attending Recreate is like drinking from a fire hydrant. I feel so immersed in fresh water that I cannot drink it all at one time.  I wanted to do a daily recap like I have done in years past, but I was so enjoying the time with fellow attendees after and between sessions, I was not able to get my thoughts together during the week to even write about it! Here were the highlights for me:

1. Participating in Worship with 1211 from Gateway Church in Austin ,TX.  I look forward to re-creating this worship experience set-up at LCC very soon. It was wonderful to meet all of them and get to hear their stories of life-change. Their leader, Ramy Antoun, is an amazing musician (drummer) and an Arts Pastor at Gateway.  See a little bit of it here...

2. A live performance from Ed Kowalczyk (formerly with LIVE) and his new band. Ed shared a little about his new faith and then went into more detail in an interview with Randy on Wednesday morning. God is doing a redemptive work in his life and it was such a privilege to be a part of the concert and interact with him at the conference. CLICK HERE to read his interview with Randy Elrod. Watch some of the concert here...

3. Randy's talk on empathy, intuition, and charisma was my favorite session. I was challenged, inspired, encouraged, and comforted all at the same time! I will be dissecting a lot of his talk and writing about it here at cheval glass in the coming days, but my favorite sentence was this..." People have their best days and do their best work when they are allowed to make progress."

4. I was overwhelmed by Andrew Peterson and friends songwriting in the round and "Behold the Lamb of God." There are not really words to describe this two-hour experience on Thursday afternoon. The one word I came away with was BEAUTY. I just listened and drank in the beauty of the entire presentation as it was expressed through music, lyrics , lighting,  sound, and most of all- skilled musicians.

5. I was immersed in community. This was the single word that was resonating all week through sessions and discussions (I agree 100 percent, Mark!) I spent more time talking with old friends and new friends over the five days than any other year at Recreate.  There was such a sense of people truly desiring to connect with one another. I experienced so many meaningful conversations and life-changing discussion. I'm still processing all of it.

Charles Jones said “You are the same today that you are going to be in five years from now except for two things: the people with whom you associate and the books you read." These wonderful creatives that I have the privilege of knowing and learning from throughout year have changed my life. They continuously offer encouragement, wisdom, and accountability that I desperately need as a creative. They are my lifeline and I am more grateful for them now than I have ever been at any other point in my life.

Recreaters - you know who you are. Thank you for the listening ears, the nuggests of wisdom, the laughter, and the moments of authenticity. It is a privilege to be among you and to create with you. Thank you Randy and Chris, for your vision and your leadership. There are not words to describe my gratitude for your sacrifice to bring us altogether.

Till next year...

Recreate 2010 Recap

The 10th Anniverary of cre:ate was ALL that and a bag of chips! By the time I leave every year, I am brimming over with ideas and a replenished soul...this year was no different. The word for the week was "authenticity." I was so struck by that character trait in SO many of our speakers and musicians. There were SO many amazing moments that I cannot recount them all.

 
I will fail to mention in this post all the details of the wonderful conversations at meals, at our tables, and at late night gatherings with friends and new friends. That is THE BEST part of recreate. So for me, here were some highlights during the conference:

•   Our morning worship times with Ian Cron, Audrey Assad, and Matt Maher were the most spiritually enriching moments of the week. Look for a new song written by Audry and Matt called "Restless." It's not out yet, but look for it...I can't stop singing it!

• I was overwhelmed by Stephen Mansfield and Dan Cathy...these men had SO much to say to us as church leaders, I was inspired by their authenticity and challenged by their ideas.

•     The music of Amy Grant, Big Tent Revival Reunion, Mandisa, and DownHere was amazing! These artists captured us with their own authentic and unbelievable talent.

• Sheila Walsh and Luci Swindoll shared amazing testimonies with us that inspired me and brought such perspective to being in ministry and living life in general.

 
  However, the most amazing and...well, the only word that I can use to describe it is "transcendent...was hearing Gungor perform their entire new album from start to finish with no talking or transition. What you hear on the recording, we saw and experienced live (including a string section) with amazing video elements that enhanced the musical experience. I haven't experienced any musical event that was as fresh, musical, worshipful, artistic, and as excellent as their performance. GO SEE THEM! It is amazing...I really have no words to describe it. Buy this record.

The founder of this conference, Randy Elrod, released his new book this week. I blogged about it here. It was so meaningful to hear Randy share his personal journey of writing this book. Randy and his wife Chris are life-long mentors and amazing people. They also have a 10 year old Maltese like me so that REALLY makes them special!

I feel so blessed that I have a such a safe place to go every year for 4 days and be encouraged, challenged, convicted, harassed :), to laugh, and to cry...all of this with friends!

I'm ready for what God has for me this year...and I know it is because He had my attention in a big way last week in Franklin, TN...

What is re:create?

Most people just don't understand setting aside 4 days of your life to attend something every year even when you have no idea of what it is going to be like each and every year. For me, it is four days of being with friends I only see once a year. It is a time to let my guard down because you know without a doubt that this is a safe place. It is staying up way too late to talk about stuff that I probably don't talk about with other people. It is a time to not take anything way to seriously about myself, my ministry, or my job title. It is a time that I am laughing one moment and maybe crying the next because I was so moved by what someone said or something I experienced. It is time for solitude...to be away from everything with my thoughts. I have made some life changing decisions here over the last 9 years (I came the 2nd year it started and have only missed one year since because it was the week that Sean was born). I love the surprises, the amazing special guests that we have, and the musical events that we experience...BUT if all of that went away, I would still be here every year. My friends are here...an amazing group of early adopters, leaders, artists, and people that want to make a difference with their lives each and everyday.  I admire them, I pray for them - they are my brothers and sisters in Christ and we need each other...even if only face to face for four days a year.  That is re:create.

You are an artist

I'm gearing up to attend an annual think tank with some of the most creative and passionate Worship Arts a people in the world. It's called recreate.  This is not your typical conference - in fact, that word really doesn't describe at all what this week is all about.  The founder, Randy Elrod, gave me one of my my first job interviews out of college. We reconnected a few years later when I was invited by a friend to attend this event.  Randy invites leaders from all walks of life - business, church, entertainment - to challenge us as creatives. There is a lot of dialogue and great discussion. A lot of it is like drinking from a fire hydrant! I started blogging as a result of this event and have made some amazing life-long friends because of it. I have also embraced over the last decade the fact that I am an artist.  I never thought of creating worship experiences every week as a form of art. Being an artist does not mean that I have to write the most amazing songs, paint the most amazing pictures, or anything like that. Being an artist is using my unique gifts and abilities to share myself with others.  I mention Seth Godin a lot in my blog because he challenges me to think. I loved this recent post...

"My definition of art contains three elements:

1. Art is made by a human being.
2. Art is created to have an impact, to change someone else.
3. Art is a gift. You can sell the souvenir, the canvas, the recording... but the idea itself is free, and the generosity is a critical part of making art.

By my definition, most art has nothing to do with oil paint or marble. Art is what we're doing when we do our best work."

Are you doing your best work? Are you generous with your work? This is my challenge every week as I plan services. This is my challenge as a prepare music and rehearse for our Valentine's Concert. This is my challenge when I write songs. You are an artist according to Seth. I believe it as well. Embrace it with your whole heart and create what only you can. It will be amazing.

I'm not suprised at all

I spent about 2 hours yesterday working on social media for our church campus...twittering for multiple accounts, designing facebook ads for events, updating facebook pages, blogging for multiple blog sites, and uploading video and pictures. I'm "officially" the Communications Director on top of continuing to serve as the Worship Arts Director for our campus now.  I went to bed last night and honestly, I was thinking about how much has changed since I started working after college 15 years ago.  I didn't have an e-mail address for the first church I worked for in 1995. We didn't have internet. This was about an 800 attendee church in South Florida...not out in the middle of nowhere. If we came up with a GREAT secular or Christian song idea in creative team back then, we would go around the room and pray someone had a copy of the song so I could rip the chart for the band that week. If they didn't, we asked our band and singers. If they didn't, I went to Media Play. If they didn't have it....oh well.  I cannot tell you how many hours I spent trying to FIND STUFF.  The fact that you are reading this right now is truly amazing. I didn't know what a blog was until Randy told me to start one in 2005 (which I didn't till 2006!) I have made life-long friends through social media that I would never have even crossed paths with in this life. Today, I read one of my friend's tweets , Carmen Coe, and she shared this video. I'm not surprised at all...

Sunday Recap - SERVE DAY Stories

This video will speak for itself, but it was an amazing day of worship and celebration of what God did in us and through us on both campuses last Sunday. I chose songs of worship that we were very familiar with and that people could REALLY sing!  Here was our service:

"Come Now is the Time to Worship" - Vineyard
"There's No One Like Our God: - Vineyard
Welcome/Announcements
SERVE DAY Highlight video (both campuses)
SERVE DAY Panel - testimonies (see video)
"Sing to the King" - Passion
"Everlasting God" - Brenton Brown
Scripture Reading - Matthew 5 :1-16
Time of Response (communion, giving, and  prayer station)
"Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone"
"God of this City" - Passion ( I did a video loop of pics from our Island projects under the lyrics)

We had 100 percent of our regular attendance on a Sunday participate in Serve Day. This was a defining moment in the life of our new church campus...God be praised.  (BTW - the terrible filming of the panel is all me...Can we say NOT a steady cam?)

Check out Fred's for more setlists!

I'm not being rude, really

Congressman twittering during Obama's speech last night? Click here to read about it...

I have been twittering for over a year, but when I entered the wonderful world of iphone ownership about 2 months ago, I REALLY got into it.  Sometimes technology complicates life, but the iphone and twittering has enhanced my being a wife, mommy of 2, worship leader, creative soul, techy wanna-be life in a HUGE WAY. Todd and I LOVE to twitter and talk with ministry friends all over the world as well as just with each other. I get answers to questions faster and I learn from what others are saying.  I have also gone paperless...the wonderful NOTES app on my iphone looks like an actual legal pad and that is what I use in meetings now. SO much less clutter in my life.   I use the Youversion Bible App to do my daily Bible Reading and for sermon planning meetings.  However, I have been confronted with people that feel that my iphone use gives the "appearance" that I am not paying attention. Some people were offended at the twittering last night during the speech. Was that disrespectiful? I don't think so.  To the people who were following the twitters of their elected officials, I bet they felt more informed about where their guy/gal stands on the issues, instead of political rhetoric that they get from the news.  I am a multi-tasker. I can listen to what you are saying, make notes, get the info out to those who need to hear it, and keep listening to what you are saying.  I am just embracing technology.  I agree that if I am having a conversation one-on-one with you, IT IS RUDE! But in meetings or large groups listening and participating in dialog, let's ALL get in the conversation.  I'm not being rude, really...

What do you think?

A proud Blog Mama

We all have blog mamas and papas....Randy Elrod is my Blog Papa. He got me into this in February 2006. Actually, it was a year before that, but I was a slow starter.  This has moved from being something that I did (one-way) to a true community of people in conversation (two-way). I am very passionate about people sharing ideas, sharing their journey, and being in authentic community...that is why I love blogging. The online community has been amazing, but the face-to-face conversation that has been generated by my blog has been unbelieveable.   I've spent most of this week developing a campus blog for our core campus and tweaking our own campus blog. It has been a privilege to come alongside our Lead Pastor, Jeff, and help him start his blog this year (which, by the way, he was BORN to do this!) Our entire Hilton Head Island Staff are bloggers (ok, there are only 3 of us, but it is 100 percent participation!) I am also working with other staff on the Bluffton Campus over the next few months to help them become a part of this community.  Clay has ben a huge help as a fellow blogger since he knows A LOT more about CSS than I do and has a great eye for design.  I've had a blast this week!  Check these out...Todd Cullen
Jeff Cranston     Barb Weatherwax     LowCountry Community Church - Hilton Head Island Campus Blog
LowCountry Community Church - Bluffton Campus Blog

Recreate - Day 2

Don't mess with a good thing...that is what I have always said. So, I didn't know how Recreate would be this year because it was going to be different than in years past.   I have lost count, but I think I have been to Recreate 5 or 6 times. This is the 1st year I brought my hubby Todd...we were not all staying at the same place. Let's just say, all apprehensions have been removed. I LOVE IT! Randy and Chris have once again KNOCKED IT out of the PARK!!!! Our sessions today with Dr. Steve Guthrie and Ian Morgan Cron were...I am without speech.  Here are some random thoughts.

• The truth of God is announced in words or deeds...not just finding a song with the word "humility," but showing it.
• Music and the Arts have an important teaching experience to give. Teaching is not limited to the words. 
•  The most meaningful we may do as worship leaders is allow God's people to sing.
• A Contemplative life is not all about content - it's about intent.
• As artists and worship leaders, we need to help others seek clearly what they have felt vaguely.
• Action without contemplation is a disaster
• Contemplation without action is a disaster
• There is nothing wrong with the loud moments in our worship, but nothing can imitate or replace the importance of silence.
• Consider Jesus' prayer life.
• The paths of beauty, truth, and goodness must all be explored to be a true contemplative.

Some of this might not make any sense to you.  However, I encourage you to read Ian's book Chasing Francis...it changed my life...get it here.

We enjoyed a songwriter's night with Meredith Andrews, Matt Boswell, and Michael Farren. The songs they shared were unbelievable and will definitely become a part of our song list at LCC-HHI. If that wasn't enough, Michael W Smith ended the evening by leading us in worship.  See the quick video clip below or view it on the right at Cullenhouse TV.  I can't wait for Day 3...

Recreate - Day 1

Meet and Greet here...Dinner here...Live Jazz by him.  This is your typical church conference :)
You never know what to expect at Recreate and that is why I am here.  We have a great 3 days in store and I can't wait to share about it here at cheval glass. Follow me on twitter for micro-blogging throughout the conference.