6:48 pm
News flash: I am a task-oriented person. I enjoy doing projects at work….installing a new system, organizing backstage, putting a new piece of equipment in, etc. etc. I thrive off the "1-time-event" mentality….I have a hard time with the everyday upkeep and day-to-day tasks….that’s why I hired Stephen….He does that stuff well. Over the last 12-15 months, I have had lots of projects come through….King’sFaire, Willow Arts Conference last summer, Worship Under the Stars, installing equipment in the Boardroom, Room 240, Room 320, new speakers in the Auditorium, new console in the Auditorium, several backstage cleanup jobs, etc, etc. Each one came; was relatively successful, and went.
Probably one of the most time-consuming projects I had on my plate for many, many months now, as most of you know, was the Children’s Building here at Canyon Ridge. I got involved with that project within the first month I was on staff here back in September of 2003, and ever since then…in some way or another….at some level or another…..I have been immersed ever since. When I joined the project, the Audio/Video designers had a very skewed idea of what the rooms were to be used for, so I took it upon myself to take the design….basically throw it in the trash, and start all over again. During that process, we cycled through several project managers, and even a couple contractors. Through many, MANY meetings about budget, equipment needs, equipment wants, schedules, more budget meetings, more wants, more budget meetings, more meetings about needs and functionality, and finally, meetings about budget, we arrived on a design; a design that was 99% straight out of my head…a honoring and scary thought.
During these months, my thoughts were consumed with this project. I would lay in bed, and sit straight up at 3:00am, because I realized I needed to switch two pieces of equipment, because they wouldn’t work in the order I had them in….or driving down the road listening to the radio, I would suddenly pick up my cell and call the contractor to order a demo of a certain speaker I wanted. I delegated most of my other responsibilities at the Ridge, so that I could offer 100% of my attention to this new building. Why? Because our kids have been getting second rate service and equipment for far too long….and because if my design failed, I failed. Mentally, I had too much riding on this project to have it not turn out perfect….not because I was worried about what other people would think if it wasn’t perfect….but because I knew something that I kept hidden from the general public:
This project was too big for me.
I knew it, and the farther I got into, the more it was apparent to me….if I missed even one step, I was sunk. I had to learn a lot as we went, and pretend like I knew it already. Doug, our Operations Pastor HAD to have known what a chance he was taking, letting me own so much. It was a risk he took…a big risk….and for that, I am thankful…I don’t think he knows just how much I learned, how much I enjoyed working alongside him, and how much I appreciated the opportunity to have a leading part in this project.
Starting about mid-January, I started a 7-day-work-week schedule, no days off, and my shortest work days being 6 hours….my longest weeks totaling 70+ hours at the church. Again, I am a project guy- I love this stuff. When I was 15 or 16 at my old church, I would go at 2 or 3 in the morning, just to get in the attic and run new cables to the projectors by myself….but even for me….two solid months of 7 day work weeks can be hard. But, there was work to be done, and my own self-confidence was riding on this thing….remember, it had to be perfect.
On a Thursday in February, I was hanging lights in the new High school room….we were supposed to open that Saturday. I looked around, and was overwhelmed with the amount of work still to be done….I had a list on my computer of things to do; according to that list, I still had seven, 8-hour days worth of work left to do…..in two days. On the verge of a mini-meltdown (for a calm guy, is a pretty big deal), I didn’t know what to do. In that moment, Doug walked in, and without really knowing the extent of my stress, announced that we would be pushing our opening back one week…a miracle of sorts….there was still hope.
That one week is exactly what I needed.
Last weekend, after months of planning, purchasing, installing, testing, troubleshooting, blood, sweat, tears, several unhealthy words, and lot of waiting and delays…we opened that building to a ton of excited kids. Things went great….all of the technical systems worked flawlessly (except for a couple user errors, but that’s expected with new gear) in all of the rooms, and the services went well. The middle/high school services saw about 75 more people than their average this weekend. They got to enjoy a hired musical artist in their new room; the elementary kids got to see a magician in their room, the preschoolers were amazed by their room, and a puppet show….all going on at once….5 times in two days….without incident. It was bumpy, and there are things to work out, but nothing failed.
I got to walk around this weekend, and make sure things were all going well, and it was amazing. I could walk into the elementary room, and see a speaker hanging in a certain position, and think back 10-12 months when I said it should go there, and it was put on a set of blueprints. I could walk into the preschool room, and see a certain (and expensive) type of connector on the wall, that will help volunteers use the system more easily; and think back to when I specified that very connector. I could walk into the high school room, and see the theatrical lights hanging in the room, and remember hanging them there myself, and making sure they were pointing in just the right direction. I could walk in the Lounge, a room with 7 flat-screen LCD TV’s, and remember designing the layout of that room, and then installing it all exactly where I said it would go months earlier. It was an interesting feeling…because while the technical side of me was happy with all of the equipment decisions I made, it was bigger than that. What was the most gratifying is that nobody noticed any of it. 2-year-olds didn’t care about my connector on the wall….only that they could enjoy the puppets; the 1st graders didn’t care about speaker placement…only that the magician made a rabbit appear out of a hat; and the high-schoolers didn’t notice lighting placement, or how the TV’s were attached to the truss; they only noticed they could see the band, and that there was a awesome place for them to hang out before the service. Finally, after 3 years, it wasn’t about cables or light fixtures, or speakers, or microphones or screens….it was about the people who were going to benefit from those tools, and providing them with an overwhelming sensory experience that, in the end, was designed to project God’s Word.
So, I guess all that to say: Mission Accomplished. Everyone enjoyed their experience, and didn’t think twice about my work. The way it should be, and the way I like it.
I couldn’t write this, without a lot of thank-you’s. My extensive work schedule took a toll on others besides myself. First, my wife, Casey. She dealt with me being at work every single day, without days off, at all hours of the day and night, for several months. It was hard on her, but she knew it was only for a season, and she hung in there. Thank you for being faithful, understanding, and loving through it all. Secondly, Stephen. I hired Stephen just before Christmas…..I don’t think he had any idea what he was getting himself into….but he hung in there with me every single day…..working without a day off just as much as I did. Thanks for sticking in there Stephen, your work-ethic and diligence says a lot about you. Leslie, Stephen’s girlfriend. I stole Stephen too many evenings that he could have been out on a date with you. Thank you for being patient and understanding- it makes the stress of the busy schedule easier to deal with. Doug, as I mentioned above…..he shouldn’t have let me own so much, but he did. The ability to take my technical vision from conception to implementation, and see it along every step of the way, is something I totally owe to you. You took a risk…probably regretted it a couple times….but I appreciate it. Lastly, Mitch and the rest of the Artist Community staff. You guys accepted my near-non-existence while I was so involved in this project. You covered for me, didn’t ask me to do things that weren’t pertinent to the new building, and helped encourage me along the way. To know I had this backing, and that I didn’t have to stress about my other responsibilities, was a blessing. Thank you everyone. Without the piece that each of you contributed, I would not have been able to endure the entire process. Thank you.
So now what? Yesterday and today were my first day off since mid January, and I have to admit, it’s been interesting. I really love my job, and what I do, and usually, my days off are spent doing building stuff on my computer….emails, ordering, etc. But these last two days have been spent doing absolutely nothing…..and it’s freakin’ weird. I can’t even think about some new thing I need to buy to make the new system work, because it’s all done. The systems are built, finished, and working. I can honestly say, other than this blog, I haven’t contemplated a single dang thing for the last 48 hours. Don’t worry though, it’s far from over. Even last Monday, they started another major part of the Auditorium expansion. Tomorrow, I will arrive to work, and technically destroy the remains of Room 100. After that, we have a huge Projection Screen/Projector install in the Auditorium. Next week, I have another install project in the Adult Building. After that, Easter. After that, yet another install in the Adult Building. After that, I start working on "Worship Under the Stars" again. And then King’sfaire again…..all the while, working on the Auditorium project. It’s fast paced…..and I love it.
I guess that’s all. The title of this blog is "A sense of accomplishment…". I hope you understand, I don’t feel accomplished in the fact that I want you all to look through the new building, and tell me what a great job I did….because I don’t want that. In fact, I would prefer you to leave such comments out of your reply to this blog, should you choose to leave one. I feel accomplished because through all the meetings, all the decisions, all the delays, all the logistical issues….the point of it all, was to convey a very important message, in whatever way possible, in the most transparent way possible. Seeing the kids enjoy their new space this weekend….that IS a sense of accomplishment….and the end to a new chapter written.
10:06 pm
Ok, it’s that time again….time for a blog….but, because I’m not all that original, I am again going to rip something off from a book that I wrote a while back….Send your complaints to 888-465-9177….
It is important to realize that you must have a set philosophy in your technical ministry. Just as your church has an overall mission statement and philosophy, I believe each ministry area should also have individual goals set in order to accomplish the overall goal. This is just as true for the technical ministry as it is for Sunday School. Having a philosophy and a set of values that covers what you want to accomplish will help give your volunteers something to work towards every week. Otherwise, they are just stuck in the monotony of doing the same thing over and over, with no clear vision…and they feel that they are merely “Button Pushers”. Even technical crews that aren’t in the church arena have a mission and philosophy about what they do. I had the pleasure of taking a backstage private tour of the Coliseum at Caesar’s Palace where Celene Dion performs in Vegas. That is the largest grossing and most popular show on the strip right now. And as you can imagine, they aren’t singing any hymns. But after talking with their technical guys and the producers, I realized that they too have a very strict philosophy about what they do. They demand excellent quality gear, and excellent quality people to run it. The show has to be flawless, and the audience can never think about any of the technical aspects of the show. Now granted, when you see a flying dancer zipping across the stage, your wheels will start turning, but the grassroots level of technology is never an issue. They want to make sure you get the message seamlessly every time.
Now while we aren’t putting on a show, and we aren’t charging admission, we are conveying a much more important message than Celene Dion ever does any night of the week: The message of Salvation. And for that reason, if nothing else, we should have as strict philosophy about what we expect from ourselves. In almost all venues, whether it is churches or not, the Technical Director for that particular venue will tell you that the philosophy of the technical department is to provide seamless and transparent technology. Transparent is not a word that is used a lot in the world of technology, but I think it is one that should sum up the entire existence of technology within the church. If you go to a rock concert, they want you to see the huge stacks of speakers, and the cables running everywhere. They want you to see the lights moving in patterns, and the pyrotechnics. But when people come to church, they want to hear God speak through message and song. Our job in the church sound booth is to bring that experience to them as efficiently and clearly as we can- maybe even using the same stuff they use in the rock show, but with more tact and grace, so that we don’t hinder or cover up what God is doing.
There is a church that I worked with doing some audio stuff a few years ago, and I call one of the congregation members every once in a while to see how things are going. Since I was there, some teams have rotated out, so it’s almost a completely new team from what started when I was there. I asked how the technical things are going there. I always get one of the following two responses: “It wasn’t as bad as it normally is” or, “It was even worse than usual”. While on of these statements sounds better than the other- the fact is that the church is only varying from one degree of insufficiency to another. It’s not that any of their technicians are idiots (I don’t think); it’s that they have nothing to strive for there. They don’t realize the negative impact on a first time visitor when the singer walks up and their microphone doesn’t come on until about 45 seconds into their song. When this happens, everyone in the room has turned their thoughts from enjoying the song, to “what is wrong with them!?” In an instant, the transparency is shattered and the mood that was set is long gone. Having a philosophy of Transparent Technology, and giving forth the due diligence could have saved that moment.
I’m sure by now you can see how Due Diligence and Excellence are both key players (right up there with the organist) in the church. You may ask why they are so important. I have had many people tell me that having such high standards gives the appearance of being too rehearsed and showy; or even too fake. To that I say this: There are many people out there in the world who don’t care about church, or don’t take it seriously because they expect second-rate ‘performance’. Churches for decades have been given that bad rap (worse than vanilla ice), with the accusations covering everything in the church from second-rate music, to poorly executed dramas. In order to get people out of that mindset, you actually have to do something that will question their stance. You will never see a box office smash filmed with a Radio Shack camera, and costumes made out of bed sheets. So why should you expect to see that at a church? You never go to a concert to hear a poorly assembled band. So why is that many times the case in church? Are we not conveying a much more important message? Are we not trying to somehow convey the excellence and perfection of God through what we do? Of course we are! And YES, that might mean you have to fork out a little more money to buy nicer stuff, or put more time into an event to ensure its success, but you will never find a lost soul walk into the church with a price tag around their neck (Minnie Pearl is long gone)…and I don’t think it’s our job to put one there. The days of the church producing second-rate material are fast fading. I pray that we never let ourselves get in the way of what God is doing. He has always provided, through the rough times and the good. He’s not about the stop now……
12:26 am
I have mentioned my book, that will be finished about 2059, in my blogs before. I was looking through it earlier, and came upon this. So, I am going to rip it off, and insert it here for today’s blog…
" Now I would like to take a few paragraphs, and talk about something that many churches are guilty of, both high and low, big and small, fat and skinny- I call it “The Art of Almost Doing Something”. I find this to be most prevalent in two major categories: small churches, and uneducated churches. As I say that, I don’t mean uneducated in the sense that they are all 4th grade drop-outs, but in the sense that they are trying to accomplish something without receiving the proper training or guidance they need in order to accomplish it well. Let me start this chapter by spelling out my Technological Motto, and then we will dissect it from there, with examples, bar graphs, and photo illustrations. “If you cannot do it with complete excellence, don’t do it.” This may sound very harsh, and non-forgiving, but you have to ask yourself, is there anywhere else on earth where what is being said inside the building is as important as what is being said inside the church? With the obvious answer looming over our heads as a constant reminder, you now have to ask yourself this (this book is a joyride for all you bi-polar readers), how could we accept anything less than pure excellence? We are trying to convey the most important message on earth- the message of Christ; and whether it is through music, video, drama, or teaching, we need to strive for A+ quality (just like USDA) all the time. Assuming that 9 out of 10 doctors agree, let me show you some real life instances where the standard of excellence was not upheld, and where it would have better off not even existed.
I can think of one conference I was at, where there was probably 30-40 churches represented, with about 2000 people attending this weeklong music conference at a nice conference center/auditorium. This conference was supposed to be the pinnacle of worship leading and technology. However, they PowerPoint operator was consistently 2-3 slides behind where we were actually singing during the entire 6-song worship set. By the end of the set, about 90% of the people had repositioned themselves facing the tech booth, trying to figure out which astrophysicist was operating the PowerPoint. By then, the entire mood of worship at this major conference was totally gone, and it was obviously apparent that it was hard for everyone to refocus, even after the pastor had begun to speak. And this was at a conference of total church staff! Imagine if there were newcomers! To me, this was a classic example of “Due Diligence” not being given. Everything has its “due diligence”, or the diligence that it is due, or required, in order to achieve excellence. Because excellence was not the standard, even at this conference that was supposedly trying to set the new standard, roughly 2000 people lost the spirit of worship.
Another musical example comes out of a church I worked with, where the interim music minister (of about 8 months) kept trying to put new (and weird) songs into the set that were very hard to sing, and nearly impossible to keep up with. Because of his inability to connect with the congregation (and the lack of a creative planning team, that probably would have halted the idea), the entire congregation gave up singing the 3rd song (out of 5), and all sat down and just looked at him. The band couldn’t keep up with him, and they too ended up falling apart and stopping. Imagine someone walking into church for the first time ever, and walking into that service. Again, because excellence was not the standard by which they programmed and executed their services, the entire mood took a dive that really never recovered until that Music Interim was relieved of their duties at that church. I could go on forever with stories that range from a Pastor forgetting his sermon notes at home, and trying to remember by turning around to look at the PowerPoint, to walking in to see microphones DUCT TAPED……..yes……..DUCT TAPD to broken microphone stands, dangling in front of the choir.
It all comes down to one simple fact- Your outcome reflects the work you put in, and the level of excellence you maintain. If you keep a high standard in everything, even in the small details, it will be evident it your outcome. Give everything its Due Diligence, and you will see the difference. Transparency IS Success….."
11:43 pm
Well, after many months of convincing Chris that CRCC is where he needs to be, he is FINALLY coming out here! His official start date is April 10th. He will come out for 7 weeks, and then go back and get married to his lovely wife-to-be Amanda, and then they will both come out for good sometime in mid-June. He will be working on our web-development stuff, as well as be the AV Manager for the new youth buidling….which basically means a second ME, which will leave me to work in the Auditorium. This is an exciting time in my life, his life, and the life of our church. Visit his blog page to see HIS account of the last few months, as well as the church’s website that he will be working on!!
11:58 am
I want to start this post with a excerpt from my book, in Chapter 10:
“Serving in the technical ministry requires you to have a certain ability to balance both science and art. This doesn’t mean you have to hold a microscope in the left hand and a painting in the right. It means that you have to find your own little niche in the booth, and figure out when the right time to use each process is. Let’s look together at an outline of when to use science, and when to use art. Since I’m not there, how about you just look at it by yourself, and then let me know what you read.
I refer to “science” because understanding how to mix first begins with it. You can’t paint a beautiful priceless painting until you know how to mix colors, how the paint reacts to the surface, and how everything flows together. The same is true with technology. You can’t design a lighting plot for a play until you know how the colors react to the set pieces, where the shadows fall, and how the technology works to make the end result possible. In audio, you can’t mix a band together until you know how the equipment works, how the songs flow, and what instruments are featured. You use the science to master the concept of technology, from the basics of how a microphone works to the everyday sound check. The science comes into play when it’s time to get the band (or vocalists, or whatever) checked. Get the monitors set, figure out when certain instruments are soloed, etc. In lighting, figure out where lights need to be focused and colored, and then use those fixtures, and figure out when to fade in and out. You will find that the science is a long a tedious process that should never really end. If you find yourself not using the science as often, that says that you already know it all, and have nothing left to figure out. If this is the case, please come teach me everything you know! Again, without giving the proper attention to the science aspect of technology, you can bring you final product down from a Picasso event to a Barney Fife event.
The art aspect of technology is definitely not something that comes perfectly the first time, yet it is something that takes time after time of practice to refine. Art in technology is taking all of the things you learned with the science, and applying them to your task. For the audiophiles, it is masterfully creating a work of art with the sounds and nuances of the music that you learned during sound check. You are a band member, and the sound console is your instrument. For you lighting guys, it is craftily mixing your lighting to create moods that send your audience exactly to where you want them; whether it is a feeling, mood, or even place. Using the art does not, and should not mean you live by a “set it and forget it” mentality. Especially is audio mixing, you cannot expect to set your levels and not touch them……”
So many times, I think the problem with the local “tech guy” is that they are really good at one aspect, but have insufficient knowledge in the other. I believe this is why so many churches have a 2nd rate technical ministry, and in turn, have a second rate music ministry. When people don’t give 110% of themselves, and give the attention to detail that the job requires, it shows, and it shows bad.
I guess this blog is written mostly to the sound tech, and the person that manages them. If you find yourself leaning more towards science than art, or vice versa, I encourage you and challenge you to step back, analyze what you are doing, and consider doing it differently. Change CAN be a good thing, and when you try new things and they work out well, people will notice. And because perception is the prelude to expectation, if someone comes into your church, and the environment is set for a 110% performance, they are going to expect good things to happen- and that’s when God shows up….when you are giving your absolute best for Him.
10:07 am
I’ve got so many things going on right now, I’m probably going to be blogging a lot. Construction is beginning on our $15 Million expansion at Canyon Ridge, which means all of the design work that I have done over the last several months will now turn into several months of installation work. These are exciting times. I will post pictures of the progress once there is something interesting to look at. I’ll talk more about the cool gear we are putting in as we get closer. Otherwise, check out DiGiCo Consoles, and Meyer Sound.
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