FoleyPro 2.04 - Audio Bed Producer

Recently our staff at CCO attended the Drive Conference at North Point Church in Alpharetta, GA and one of the sessions that I gleaned so much from was North Point's student ministry Q & A and Showcase "Inside Out." Inside Out is the high school ministry at NPC and to just sit and watch how others do youth ministry and then to get the opportunity to sit and ask the leaders questions was so helpful and informative.


One of the resources that I took away from that session was the audio software program FoleyPro Version 2.04 for Macintosh OSX and Microsoft Windows. FoleyPro is a software designed to help make your productions and events run smoother by giving you more control over your music beds, bumpers, soundFX and Performance Tracks. I'm sure you have been frustrated with 'CD, MD, & iPod player' lag? I'm sure your services/shows have not been as tight as you would like? I'm sure your volunteers sometimes miss a queue? FoleyPro is your answer. Designed to play your music or effects instantly, FoleyPro will help you to produce a tighter service flow.

FoleyPro is designed to be easy to learn and use. It's so easy that anyone, starting from DAY 1 can use it like they've used it for years. Setup is easy, just create a library for the show or event, load it with your music and you are ready to go. FoleyPro will play all common music and sound formats: AIF, MP3, WAV, AIFC, M4A, M4P and more. It also has features like auto fade, auto mix, and a countdown display that gives your tech crew a heads up for when your audio bank is coming to an end.

System Requirements:
FoleyPro is designed to operate on either the Macintosh or Windows XP/Vista system.
Macintosh: Mac OSX, verstion 10.4.x+, 1024x768 Screen resolutions or greater, Quicktime Version 7+
Windows: Windows XP/Vista, 1024x768 screen resolutions or greater, Quicktime Version 7+ for Windows, Supported Sound Card or built -in sound hardware.

You can purchase the software HERE at nuePoint's site. Hitting this link is your best chance at finding this program. Before tracking down the creator of the software by phone I tried to do a Google search to find it and I was unsuccessful. Luckily, the Inside Out Tech Crew gave me the creators number. After speaking with him he was very helpful with explaining at that it can do and walking me through the purchase process. But once you find FoleyPro's site you will see the process is very simple. The program is a little pricey but it will relieve a load of tech frustrations during your service programs.

Hopefully this little tutorial video can give you an idea of what FoleyPro can do for you.

His Yoke Is Perfect

These past couple weeks of Identity Youth have just been AMAZING. I know I haven't blogged in quite a while because of the crazy pace of my life lately but I just wanted to get on blogger and give God some glory for what he has been doing in and through the Identity Student Ministries. Last week we had a whole night of worship with the ID Band. We changed it up a bit and kind of did an acoustic set. I say kind of because we did some acoustic guitar stuff with a box drum and we did some electric stuff too. The presence of God was so strong!

This past week's service was just as anointed. I spoke to the youth at Identity on the subject of "Who Are You?" It was based off the scripture Matthew 11:30 For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light (NLT). We talked about how God's plan (yoke) for our life fits perfectly and we need to take ownership of the call that God has on our life. He's called each and everyone of us to something and no one can fulfill that call except us (the one He called). His yoke fits US perfectly.

One of Identity's youth, Garrett, has just started heading in the direction God is calling him and is beginning to realize that his life must first be yoked to God before he can ever step into the calling God has for him. Here is his testimony that was shown last night at Identity.

Create Your Own Countdowns

If you are in youth ministry then you probably use countdowns to start your services. After buying multiple countdowns from various media websites and youth leadership conferences I came across a handy little tool that allows me to create my own custom countdowns. It has been very useful. You are able to set whatever time limit you desire, add your own background images or movies, and make changes to your fonts. I even created a 30 day countdown for a series my Pastor is teaching that runs throughout the service while he preaches. The countdown program that I found is produced by a company called TRIMONIX. You can see a lot of their work on the website Stufficanuse.com. TRIMONIX is relatively inexpensive for what you get. By the time you purchase a few countdowns from the usual church media sites you could end up paying for this program. The only draw back to TRIMONIX is that it only works on a MAC computer and it doesn't export audio. So if your video background already has music on it, when you export your final countdown product, it will not have any audio. You will have to use another program like Final Cut Pro or iMovie to add your audio. Here is an example of a countdown that I created with TRIMONIX in conjunction with FINAL CUT PRO and LIVETYPE as well as a video background that I downloaded from VIMEO.com.



If you have a PC then there is still hope. Since the rest of the staff at our church have PCs they found an alternative program called COUNTDOWN CREATOR. I know it's not an original name but this program is just as impressive and it does allow you to add your own audio as well as images, videos, fonts, and etc. Here is a video that gives you a brief demo of what it can do.

Identity Youth Retreat Recap

In the previous post a quickly recapped our youth retreat's success and briefly talked about some of the activities. Well, here a video that one of my youth shot and I edited. Take a look and tell me what you think...

Spring Break Madness

Spring Break has come and gone and it has taken all of my energy with it. I am so beat. Jules and I have been going nonstop since last week. First, we had another amazing opportunity to take our youth band to another youth rally here in Orlando called "Spring Break Free." They made us so proud. They have been allowing God to use them in so many ways and as they make themselves available their talents get better and better. Just this week we got another call to lead worship again at a "To Write Love On Her Arms" venue. God is so good! Without Him, none of this would be possible. For more photos of the ID Band's last worship experience click HERE.

Well, all of that was on Thursday and on Friday our youth group took their 2nd annual youth retreat in Lake Wales, FL at Lake Aurora Christian Camp. Let me just say..."IT WAS AMAZING!" Last year was our first time taking a retreat with our kids and needless to say...the entire youth group wasn't completely sold on the idea and therefore we only had 21 attend. Well, when they came back from the trip last year the impact was definitely evident and our youth were the best advertisement for this year's trip. This year we took 43. We more than doubled our attendees. We take a lot of trips with our youth throughout the year but this is the cheapest and by far the most impacting, in my eyes. This years trip was no different. We tell our kids the whole purpose of the trip up front. It's all about unity and relationship. It's our chance to bring those in from the outer edges and make them feel apart of the group. It's our chance to encourage each other while being encouraged by God in our times of prayer and worship. It's a time for good healthy competition to illustrate that we are all in this together and we need each other to win this race. And it's a time for us to unplug from the world and our electronics (we collect all cell phones a soon as we get there) and just get back to the basics; God and His body of believers.

This year we pulled some new activities out and had a blast with them. They include Cheese IT, Extreme Dodge Ball, Canoe Races, Obstacle Courses, Barrel Brawl, Slip-n-Slide Kickball, Flour Power Capture the Flag, Ropes Courses, Worship, and Baptisms. As you can see with some of the photos below our youth enjoyed every minute of it and seeing them have fun with no complaining, and no cliques or insider clubs was just AMAZING. You can check out more of the photos from our retreat HERE.

















But now that the weekend has come and gone we have to head back to reality and part of that reality is that Judah starts his first week of daycare. It goes without saying that Julie was not that happiest camper...lol...She had already been gone for 2 days away from Judah while my parents babysat during our youth retreat and the last thing she wanted to do was leave him with a complete stranger at daycare. He did great his first day and Momma Jules is learning to cut the umbilical chord...lol...Until next time, HOLLA!

A Recent Update...

Things have been unbelievably AMAZING in my life lately. The family is doing great and our new addition, Judah seems to be fitting right in. Here is a recent shot of him sleep on the ottoman in our family room. But...WOW....I have just been on such an incredible high with God and I feel as if He is really doing some great things through us, our youth ministry, and our church as a whole. There just seems to be exponential growth taking place, not only in our church growth but also in the spiritual lives of the people that are attending. Once again our Identity Youth service was packed full of teens that are excited about God and excited about coming to youth. Each week, the newcomers from the previous week are back and they are bring their friends too. I just talked with some new teens after this weeks service (Nelson and Alisin) and they said, "We love this place. We are going to make it a point to bring one new friend every week from here on out." Needless to say, I am so excited about that.

This past weekend was a HUGE weekend for our student ministry. Not only did we have an AWESOME opportunity to lead praise and worship at a local youth rally here in Orlando but we had a pretty outstanding Super Bowl fundraiser on Sunday night that helped us raise a ton of money for our youth budget. Maybe we can finally break even from some of this past summers big events. But what was so cool about this weekend was I got to see our youth get outside of the four walls of our church and truly minister to our local community. After we were through leading praise and worship at the Orlando youth rally many other groups were excited to possibly invite us to lead worship at their future events. God just seems to keep opening doors for us to do the extraordinary. I was so proud of our kids this week. It's so cool to see them grow into such outstanding men and women of God.


But God isn't just doing great things in our youth ministry. He is also moving so pure in our Sunday morning services. Just recently we have been moving in a direction of multiple worship leaders leading simultaneously. After about a year and a half of leading worship on Sundays and Wednesdays it has been nice to have some of load lifted. But I have been co-leading on Sundays with a guy named Lester and the worship has just seemed to be heading in such a great direction. God is showing up so evident in our services and the layering of multiple leading voices has been unexpectedly great. God is good and I can't believe that He chooses to have a relationship with me. I love Him so much and I am honored to work for His kingdom.

Another Great Night...

WOW! God is just really blessing my socks off with how He is blessing our Student Ministries at Christ Church of Orlando. The Identity Students have really been grabbing hold of the evangelism concept we preach so much at Identity Youth. Our students are becoming some of the BIGGEST witnesses at our church. For example, just last weekend one of my youth, Morgan, was at the mall and she saw these girls walking down the sidewalk. She just went up to them to start a conversation and found out that they were waiting on the bus to get a ride home and she offered to take them home. While riding home she got to talk with them about God and church and one thing led to another...Well, all 4 of them came to Wednesday night's Identity Youth service and they loved it. They all said they plan on coming back next week. We have had such an influx of newcomers and they aren't just visiting. They are all coming back the following weeks. Last night we had 67 in the service and for a church of around 450 people....I think that is outstanding.

This weeks service was not only jammed packed with students, causing us to add more and more seats, but it was jammed packed with great stuff. We started off the night with a Crowd Control Game called "Road Race" and the kids loved it. It's a voice activated game that is controlled by the loudness of the crowd. It had me on the floor rolling and laughing. Then we moved into a time of worship. Our piano player wasn't there this week and so I was stuck playing keys during half the set but there just seemed to be such an atmosphere of praise to our God during our worship. We started off with "Break Free" (United) and then moved into "I Am Free" (Desperation Band). Then one of our students came to the stage and encouraged our youth to really press into God's presence and man, did they ever. We finished the PW set off with "Oh How He Loves Us" (John Mark McMillan) and "Saviour King" (United). God's presence was so evident. After worship our drama team performed "The Ledge Skit." It's a spoken skit on temptation and peer pressure. Then we continued the 2nd part of our new series on temptation called "Hooks" and used "The Select Fit" video clip from Mosaic Films. I used it to illustrate the dangers of taking scripture out of context to validate our sin.

Our church and youth has really been going through a change of seasons. A few months ago we had a lot of changes take place in our attendance and as a staff and church we all began to fast and pray during the Advent and Christmas Holidays. During that time our senior adults pastor gave a word of knowledge to our pastor. She said, "Pastor, I feel that God is taking us through a pruning process and when He is done pruning it will make way for great growth. It will be a [Healthier] growth that will produce an abundant harvest." I believe we are seeing the fruits of that today. I am so amazed with God. Aren't you?

This Wednesday...

I just thought I would just thank God publicly for the amazing youth service we had last night at Identity Student Ministries. God is really doing something amazing in our church and our youth ministry. He's pruning and growing us at the same time. Our people seem to really want to connect with God and they seem to want to know Him in a deeper and more authentic way. Our students and stepping out into leadership roles and leading others in the direction God is calling us as a whole. I can't wait to see what this year holds for us. 2008 was amazing in itself (see video post below) and we as a church and as a youth ministry did some things that we had never done before but I feel and our Pastor has already challenged us to EXTRAORDINARY things this year. I can't wait to see the fruits of 2009.

IT'S B-DAY!

Well, I am just a few hours away from having my life change forever and holding my new baby boy in my arms. That's right Julie and I are both going at 3 o'clock in the morning on Thursday January 8th to be induced. Hopefully by this time tomorrow I will be able to post pictures of little Judah Avery Johnson and glow as I hold one of God's amazing creations in my own two hands. This year could not be starting any better than it is. I just got home from an AMAZING youth service where I got to minister to the teens in our church and the lives that were there were truly changed tonight. Kids filled the altars and I got to witness countless lives be touched by the power of the Holy Spirit. I know that I just posted a 2008 recap video below but I also put one together for our youth ministry to show what great things God did through us in 2008. Here is the video I showed tonight. I can't wait to see what He does through us in 2009. Until my next post....keep us in your prayers as we embark on a life-changing experience.

The Youth Ministry Chair

I came across this video on a Youth Ministry Blog that I RSS feed to and it so hilarious I almost wet myself but in the end it really hits home the point of why we do ministry. The Skit Guys are so amazing at what they do and they can tell a story like no other. Check it out!

12 Ways to Reduce Stress in Ministry

12. Get Organized.
Ministry workers can tend to be a little messy and disorganized. File, organize, schedule, and clean. Trust me. Things will run smoother and you will feel less pressure when looking for a certain message you preached last year and when things are organized future planning becomes a breeze. Life just seems easier when it's in order. Take a look at our Heavenly father and His creation. Everything has it's place and order and it works amazingly.

11. Take regular breaks.
Ministry workers are usually workaholics. There are appropriate times when you need to settle down and crunch through some work, but when it’s done, leave your workplace a couple minutes. Go outside, walk around, and get some sun. You’ll be amazed how refreshed you feel coming back. A 10-15 minute break outside can really energize you to finish the rest of your work in much better time and in higher quality, too.

10. Work when you focus best.
It seems like most people I know in ministry are early-morning people. They love waking up before the sun and hitting the office early. If that’s what works best for you, then do it! However, some people, like me, think mornings are nonexistent and can’t function until lunch time. I honestly work best between 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM. I stay focused and tend to crank out my best work during that time. Find out what works best for you and capitalize on it.

9. Address the work at home.
Stacks of bills, car maintenance, yard work, and home repairs can really stress you out, especially if it seems like everything else going on in life is always a higher priority. If tasks start piling up at home, take an extra day off to get it all done and set your mind free.

8. Eat healthy.
Give your body food that will keep it well nourished. Balance your carbs, fruits, vegetables, and grains. Junk food will drain your system, making you tired and unfocused. A sugar rush may give you small bursts of energy, but the crash at the end will keep you going back for more sugar all day long. I'm still working on this one.

7. Stay in shape.
It’s clinically proven that regular exercise reduces stress, gives you more energy, improves your sleep at night, and helps you stay more alert during the day. There’s really no excuse not to stay in shape, especially for people in ministry. For me it's a little tennis and racquetball here and there. And if you have tight muscles and achy joints, see a massage therapist or a chiropractor. The bill will bite you in the end, though.

6. Use your vacation days.
Many of us may be happy with our jobs, our ministries, and the work we do, but there are always small things about each job that we hate. That’s just a part of life. Over time, those annoyances can build until they become frustrating. Make sure you take a break, time to rest, time to get away, and leave it all behind. If your ministry can’t function without you for a couple days to a week on a regular basis, the ministry is way too focused on you and is unhealthy.

5. Keep ministry simple.
Lots of activity and responsibilities may make you feel more important than you really are, but it’s a guaranteed formula for stress and burnout. Know your limits and be realistic. If you have too much on your plate, delegate some of it to others or simply cut it out of your life. In my ministry, if no one steps up to help or take over something I don’t have time to do or shouldn’t be a priority for my limited time, it simply doesn’t get done. It’s really that easy. Just because your ministry is busy and active doesn't mean it's moving forward. Activity doesn't mean progress.

4. Listen to worship music.
I don’t mean just have it playing in the background, although that might help. Sit down and really listen to it. Let the Holy Spirit work in your life as you spend personal time in worship, thinking, reflecting, and meditating on Him. All the other stressful things in your life pale in comparison to a healthy reminder of who God is.

3. Say “No!”
I don’t know why ministry workers feel like they have to say yes to so many things. Maintain boundaries on your life! If the ministry is focused around you, you’re doing something wrong. You shouldn’t be out more than 3 nights a week maximum! Be at home with your family.

2. Maintain healthy relationships with your spouse.
Remember, your primary ministry is to your family, especially your spouse. Don’t wait until the relationship starts feeling dry to do something about it. Maintain the relationship so you never get to that point in the first place. Spend alone time together, go on dates, read the Word together, do random romantic acts, be sexually active. Celebrate what you have.

1. Focus on the Lord.
Regular time with the Lord is critical, but it often seems like it’s the first thing we set aside. Spend time with God on a personal level and also make it a priority for your family. You can’t serve the Lord and follow Him without knowing where He’s leading you. Otherwise, you fall into a stale rut of just “doing” ministry, rather than leading a movement of God’s people.

I.D. Check

Just wanted to get on the blog and talk about how amazing God is. This week's Identity youth service was just stellar. The kids were great, the morale was great, the worship was amazing, and God was able to use someone like me to deliver His word. I love my job. Granted, it's not easy at times and there are days you just want to quit but I can't help to think that there is nothing else I would rather be doing. This weekend is going to be one of the chances that I get to enjoy the perks of my job; planning fun events with our youth. This weekend we have created an AMAZING RACE of our own and the kids will be on a sprint around the Orlando area uncovering clues that lead them to the next one and at each stop they must complete certain tasks. It cost them a little to play but the winning team gets a BIG pay day if they have completely everything first. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

10 that tempt and bring death to leaders

1. Focus on personal advancement instead of team success.
2. Shift blame to others instead of absorbing it yourself.
3. Avoiding a hard conversation because you might not be liked afterward.
4. Wanting to be heard instead of trying to listen.
5. Delegating to the point of being unaware.
6. Make decisions that please people instead of the right ones.
7. Delaying tough decisions under the disguise of needing more information.
8. Always acting like you know all the answers.
9. Never seek advice or wisdom for fear of appearing incapable of your role.
10. Believe you've learned all there is to know about what you do.