*BLOG

Happy New Year! Stunning Pixilation Video

2009-01-03T02:06:06-06:00

I just spotted this video on the DRAWN blog. At first glance it's mesmerizing and has great music... but this is so much more impressive when you realize how it was created.

They used a process called pixilation, “a stop motion technique where live actors are used as a frame-by-frame subject in an animated film, by repeatedly posing while one or more frame is taken and changing pose slightly before the next frame or frames."

The original link (HERE) has a making-of video in French with Dutch subtitles that is worth watching. This stunning video took...

4 weeks of prep

4 days of shooting

20 “animators”

288,000 tea lights!

Rather than linking a low-res Youtube version, I found a larger quicktime link below.

Happy New Year!

>> Don't forget to subscribe to my blog so you will know when I update next > click here!

Storying with Church of the Resurrection

2008-12-16T17:03:36-06:00

This weekend, I had a great time meeting with the junior high group from Church of the Resurrection in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Bret Crull and a great team of volunteers lead this group.

Their church is Anglican, and I though they did a wonderful job of incorporating some of their distinctives into this junior high learning session. As the students and leaders entered the room, they were given a small wooden cross necklace to wear during the duration of the class. This is to signify our time together as being set apart. A small altar was set-up with a special chair for the storyteller, plus some colorful rugs added around the room to provide some esthetic vibe to the space. (see image) I really appreciated the thought and creativity put into this, especially since these items had to be set-up and torn down right away (they meet in a public high school).

Our review time was guided by hand-made collages created for each of the stories they’d covered thus far. The students loved this! Before the storytelling began, a candle was lit and placed in the center of the room and we were led in a breathing prayer to help us slow down and focus. Brett did a great job telling the story of the Judges. Then Christie, a volunteer, led us in a review exercise called Pows and Wows. This was a great activity, and led very well. In fact, I liked it so much I’ve put it on my Ideas list!

Following the review, I guided the students through a dialogue time. I had to make some quick adjustments, as I was amazed at the amount of detail these students remembered. It almost seemed like they did not miss a detail in the story. One of the guys even mentioned the Judge whose name sounds like Oatmeal! (Othniel)! So I skipped a lot of the “remembering” questions I was going to ask, and went right to wondering and observing questions. They responded well. It is a very thoughtful group of students who seem to want to learn. As with most all junior high groups, they girls were way more engaged and insightful than the boys in the discussion.

This storying experience encouraged me to incorporate more time to “create” for the students during review and retelling. It also challenged me to not skim over the review times, and allow more time for my groups to see the connecting threads in the stories.

Needless to say I was inspired by Brett and the youth leaders from Church of the Rez. After the class I had lunch with them – some yummy bean soup and grilled cheese Brett’s wife made! We had a great conversation about the nuances of storying, and how it needs to be adjusted and tinkered with to reach junior highers who are just emerging into abstract thought. Their passion for the story, and initiative to try new ideas is contagious! Thanks Brett!

Birth Narrative

2008-12-11T18:27:41-06:00

A few years ago I stitched together this narrative about the Birth of Jesus. Click on the links to download a pdf with dialogue questions or an mp3 audio. Peace to you during this season of hope and anticipation.

JesusBirth.pdf

JesusBirth.mp3

YS OneDay Workshops

2008-12-09T17:49:13-06:00

I am really excited about the new YS Oneday focused youth ministry training (formerly called Core). Not just because I really like the people that lead Youth Specialties, but because I think the workshop is really good. And they are being led by gifted presenters who care about youth workers.

Ok... I need to come clean... I wrote one of the sessions for this! ! Yeah, this is a bit of self-promotion. Here is the basic schedule: (can you guess which session I wrote?!)

SCHEDULE ( typcally 8:45am-2:30pm on Saturdays)

Session 1: The Word is More than Words
The bible is the living and active word of God. It has authority, power and value in the lives of youth workers and students

Session 2: Digging Deeper: Uncovering the Riches of Scripture
Digging deep into the word doesn’t have to be daunting or overwhelming. There are tools and techniques that anyone can use to understand the bible, apply it to their own lives and teach it to the students in their ministry.

Break

Session 3: Chronological Bible Storying: Leading Students into a Fresh Encounter with God’s Word
For thousands of years, stories were the key means for Jewish and Christian people to learn and experience God. Help students to enter into the entire panorama of God’s story

Lunch/Dinner

Session 4: Ideas, Ideas, Ideas: More Ways for your Students to Experience Scripture
The bible is not simply a school book, a text book, or an encyclopedia. The bible is a life book, with deep implications for our lives. We desire to help students experience the Word, not just hear it and we’ve collected hundreds of practical tools and ideas to help you do just that.

Check HERE to find a location near you this spring!

A New Experience: Celebrating Advent

2008-12-01T03:09:53-06:00

In the last year my family and I have begun to explore the rich traditions of the christian calendar. We are grateful to be a part of a congregation whose worship and celebration connect to the historical practices of the Church.

This is a first for us... we both were not a part of homes or congregations in the past that honored the christian calendar. So we feel a bit like we have just opened a door to a entirely new world of possibility in our faith, and we are learning and soaking in the beauty and mystery of these practices.

Today we began our celebration of Advent. Our pastor, Joel Kline from the Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren, did a wonderful job of leading us toward thoughtful reflection this morning. I loved how he lit the first Advent candle with children from the congregation, and took time to explain to them the true meaning of this season.

For years I have struggled with getting caught up in the business of the season... in the gift buying, party planning, and travel plans. I have desperately needed a structure or rhythm to help me slow down and focus on the significance of Jesus’ birth.

Advent is a word that means "coming" or "visit”. At certain times each day my family will be taking a few minutes to slow down, share, pray, read and reflect. Each week we will light a candle symbolizing an aspect of Jesus incarnation: hope, peace, joy, and love. These special activities will remind us of how Jesus’ entered our world, showed us a new way of living, and continues to indwell our lives.

Here are some of the resources that are helping us in our journey:

TOGETHER WITH MY FAMILY (MY WIFE AND 3-YEAR-OLD)
Advent Guide from author Mark Roberts

Advent Nativity Book from Usborne Publishing

WITH MY WIFE AND ON MY OWN:
Advent and Christmas Wisdom from Henri J.M. Nouwen

Daily Readings from Mars Hill Church

Lily Lewin’s Blog

Please share how your family and faith community celebrate Advent!

National Youth Workers Convention NASHVILLE

2008-11-21T16:37:57-06:00

I am in Nashville for Youth Specialties' National Youth Workers Convention. Above is a picture from my hotel room – not a great photo, but you get the idea.

On Saturday I will be leading a session for youth leaders called Shaped by the Story that will be an interactive workshop exploring Bible storying and interactive learning. It should be fun!

Here is a link to download the handout for the workshop (requires login): Nashville Workshop. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the resource list to find it. This handout is somewhat different than the one I used at the convention in Pittsburgh.

If you are able to attend this workshop, please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Story4All Podcast

2008-11-19T03:16:54-06:00

At a recent conference in Dallas I met Bryan Thompson, a great guy who runs a ministry called Story4All. Bryan and I immediately connected because of similar interests – using story to reach younger generations – and a similar sense of humor! Story4all is based in Ireland and is part of a growing network of believers throughout the world who are committed to bringing the Story of God to all peoples through oral and visual mediums. This amazing ministry connects people from every continent to Bible Storying through resources and a stellar weekly podcast!

Bryan just posted part of an interview I did with him HERE. I don't know if I will ever like the sound of my own voice, but hopefully it encourages you!

It’s a Mad World

2008-11-17T21:41:10-06:00

"It is extraordinary to me that you can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can't find $25 billion to save 25,000 children who die every day of preventable treatable disease and hunger," the U2 lead singer told Clinton's fourth annual philanthropic summit in New York. "That's mad, that is mad."

From Reuters article, "Crisis no excuse to ignore poverty", Wed. Sept. 24, 2008

To help make a difference go to: http://www.one.org/

Are Gadgets Making Us Awkward?

2008-11-10T17:29:18-06:00

I like text messaging and email. It is quick... and it makes me feel like I am in control. I can conserve my relational and emotional energy – something very important for an introvert. But are those tools making me more shy and less willing to initiate more personal forms of communication?

I stumbled upon an article from last year entitled, “Gadgets blamed for making the world a shier place” from The Raw Feed, a technology and culture blog. Here is the post:

Psychologist, Harvard Business School researcher and etiquette columnist Robin Abrahams said in a recent interview that cell phones, iPods and PCs are casing a worldwide epidemic of shyness. She said nearly 50% of people say they're shy in social situations, up from about 40% "in the past."

"People shop online, they listen to their iPods rather than the radio -- and they e-mail or text each other rather than talk. What we have is an increasingly complex social environment, combined with less practice at dealing with it because of technology."

I can picture you rolling your eyes right now... thinking, “Please... we communicate more now! I am tired of people trying to find something or someone to blame for everything. Now we are blaming our cell phones!!”

I hear you, I hear you. I agree. But I am curious about this idea.... I have worked with teens for more than fifteen years now, and without question technology has radically changed the way they communicate over the last decade.

It does seem to me that more and more teens seem to be unfamiliar and restless with face-to-face and voice-to-voice communication. Obviously my work with teens predates our compulsive cell-phone-as-an-appendage, texting-more-than-blinking era. And I know that talking with most teens is awkward because THEY are awkward... uncomfortable and unsettled with who they are. Insecure. (Come to think of it, so am I...) Yes... developing social skills is part of their development.

Is our obsession with technology impeding social development? I am sure it is helping in some ways, and hurting in others. I wonder, as one who mentors and works with teens, will I need to focus more and more on helping them learn how to interact with each other in-person? ...to learn how to be “a community”? What do you think?

Handout from National Youth Workers Convention in Pittsburgh

2008-11-04T19:11:55-06:00

I had a great week at Youth Specialties' NYWC in Pittsburgh. The highlight of the week for me was the workshop I got to lead with Mark Novelli (my brother) and Kelly Dolan. My part was focused on Bible Storying, while they brought context to how communication and learning have changed in our culture. I also got to meet with old and new friends. It was so encouraging!

If you were able to attend this workshop, please leave a comment and let me know what you thought!

As promised, here is a link to download the handout from the workshop (requires login): Pittsburgh Workshop