"After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them." Acts 18:1-3 (NIV) It has amazed me how the thrust of these past few journal entries has changed from the time I get the idea to the time that I have to write about it. This entry is no exception. As many of you know, I have worked in television for the past 18 months. Before that, I was "Director of Creative Media" at a church. Before that I worked at Radio Shack, before that in video at a seminary, before that at a video store. It seemed certain to me that I would always spend my working hours honing my skills in media or technology. That had been the case in the previous 6 years. Isaiah 48:6b says, "I proclaim to you new things from this time, Even hidden things which you have not known." God sometimes surprises us with things that we don't see coming. I wasn't actively looking for a job; I'd begun writing for a magazine, but thought that was all that would come about. Then, I got a call. It was a friend of a friend. He was opening a retail store that sold scrubs in my town; he wanted me to manage it. I was 75% sure it wasn't for me. After we met, my perspective employer was more sure than ever that I was the one. I wasn't. I liked the prospect of more money and time with my family. I didn't like the idea of leaving the industry I love. My other main concern, what kind of boss I'd have, was quickly eased by talking to his employees. The more people I talked to, the more obvious it seemed that this wasn't a distraction, but the opportunity I needed to enable me to spend my time better working for church. This was my tentmaking gig. I occurred to my that my namesake, the apostle Paul, probably would have preferred to teach and write all of the time, but it didn't happen, so he made tents. He did what it took to free his time to do his passion as much as possible. Is there part of me that's sad to leave? Oh, yeah! Do I see this as a gift from God? Oh, yeah! Sometimes your path takes a turn. I look forward to the adventure. Paul

We're living in a great time. It's a time when people can communicate virtually instanteously with people all over the world. It's a time of great turmoil. There have always been wars, but now it seems different. There have always been terrorist (Judas might have belonged to a group of 1st century terrorists called the "sacarii"), but now it seems different. I don't know if this is the end times. I pray it isn't. Sure I selfishly want Jesus to rescue me from the troubles of this world, but I've learned from Him to be "unwilling that any should perish, but that all should come to eternal life." The thing that leads me to believe that we might be near the end is that the fields seem white for the harvest like they haven't been since the first century. We're now a scant 44 days into the 2005 and as of yesterday (today's Sunday), my church has had 50 people (mostly adults) come faith in Christ. That's what it's all about. Do you see? We might be in the last generation. The work we do now is eternity changing. It might be the last opportunity people have. This site is all about the most powerful communication tools we have--video and graphics. When people see the deal Jesus is offering them, they're saying yes, at least in Lexington, Kentucky. As you see disagreements among believers know two things. First, satan may be thinking this is the end, too. He may be throwing everything he has at us. Second, as humans we're imperfect and often find ourselves unsure on how to procede. The more important the mission, the greater the possibility we won't agree all the time. That is okay. What's important is we realize that our only mission is to concentrate on doing what God asks so that when Jesus separates the sheep from the goats, there are as few as possible. We've GOT to remember that it's all about the sheep.

There's a fact that we all must realize. I know it might come to you as a shock, but we're human. As humans we make mistakes. In fact I made a couple of biggies today during our service. You see, I'm not the greatest director we have at Quest. I don't have the experience and once a week isn't really cutting it. Add to that the fact that we only have two cameras and shooting a musical performance becomes difficult. So how do you deal with it when you're supposed to take a shot of the back-up singers as they sing "Seek first the kingdom of God" during "Land of Opportunity"? As you make any mistake in a situation where you can't fix it, you must recover quickly. Remember that there's a time for analysis, but while you're working is not it. Like a bounced check, mistakes can pile up on each other causing utter disaster. Recovering quickly can prevent mistakes from pileing up. When you've got a second to analyze what happened, you need to ask yourself a question, "Who noticed?" This is a point where a tape can be very benefitial. You might notice that when you see what people actually saw, not what you wanted them to see, there was no discernable mistake. It could be you're the only one to notice. Next, remember that God has grace sufficient for your mistakes. Don't beat yourself up. What can you learn? Consider what you can do to avert the mistake in the future. When you do this, consider two other things. Remember that God works all things together for the good for those who love him and are called according to his purposes. God will use your mistakes. Also consider another possibility. What if God will not only use your mistakes, but might (in some circumstances) prefer your mistakes? Before each service I pray that God's will be done, not that I will be unseen or make no mistakes. If one more person comes to faith because I was unable to play a video clip that might have distracted them at a strategic moment, let me look like a fool. If it's God's will I want it everytime, even if I wanted to do the opposite. Paul

Something amazing just happened. Our church is a little cutting edge. This week we had a painting painted live on stage during our three services. I found out that we would definately be doing this Tuesday. We normally shoot with only two cameras, but I thought a third camera would provide coverage that the other two would couldn't. I decided to borrow one and try it out. Fast forward to this morning. My daughter fell and broke her arm yesterday, so I was at the doctors' office instead of church (to my chagrin). When I arrived at church two of the producers came up to me and told me that everything was great. Jennifer said, "I looked at Jacki and said, 'We so need three cameras.'" It's funny, but true. Words are not enough to explain the beauty of what additional techonology can do in terms of communication and quality. Paul

I've decided to start this blog in addition to my writing at churchmedia.net . Check back. Paul