Clive Banks of RB Concepts commented “The big thing is audience participation and this means bands can relate more to the audience, it means there is a lot more audience participation, as opposed to it being static”. Coldplay were so impressed with the wristbands they bought part of the company. RB Concepts have high hopes for the technology in the future and may even be used at the Olympics. via ac labels

gonna ask santa for a gross or two of these for evo and camp…may a few more for big church.

that said i think i’ve stumbled on a really creative nativity set that (disclsoure: I received a free outdoor nativity set to review and keep in exchange for a blog post) was sent to me by andrew brown at outdoor nativity sets that you might want to consider.

truthfully i’ve been looking for a number of years for some kind of a weather resistant CHRISTtmas display beyond the typical plastic or painted plywood types.  this product i think is worth consideration. its cut from marine grade plastic to withstand the weather conditions for years and has a simple design…and incredibly easy and quick to setup. here’s a vlog on what the set looks like and my thoughts.

i was not only impressed by the outdoor nativity but also by the mission of this family owned manufacturing company in central Florida that primarily builds for the marine industry.  its impressive that because of the downturn in the economy the owners sought to find another niche in the market place to maintain gainful employment for their employees.  According to the letter i got from Andrew Brown….

the nativity project has saved 8-10 jobs last year alone and was the best selling Outdoor CHRISTmas Decoration on Amazon.  So instead of layoffs we were working overtime!

that concept alone is enough to truly consider sprucing up your neighborhood with a cool image of what CHRISTmas time is all about reminding all about one of those cool nicknames of Jesus…Emmanuel- God is with us.

night time look at the outdoor nativity at our house.

So Outdoor Nativity has a truly unique product and some other items worth checking out….please visit their online store here.

in addition to the Outdoor Nativity Sets let me put a plug in for my friend and Kingdom Ally, Chip Richter.  Lot’s of fun traditional CHRISTmas music on his cd from last year.  (if you watch the video above you’ll hear his rendition of Jose Feliciano’s Feliz Navidad).   You can sample the entire album and download it as mp3′s via his online store here.  UPDATE: Chip says CD Baby is currently out of stock! More have been shipped to them but in the meantime if you want to contact him directly for a CD for Christmas e-mail him here

available 11.25.11

its been almost 13 years since i met two young men, brothers – Owen and Chris Thomas who were part of a band originally called Just Visiting.  They were opening at a concert in Ashland for another band that is no longer – Big Tent Revival those two young men went on to become the heart and passion of a new band called The Elms.  Over the next decade or so i had the privilege of hosting them mulitiple times at camps and concert venues.  And i travel a few hundred miles to support them.  They have amazing hearts.   Truth is we became friends.   i’ve followed their art and craft and have always appreciated their deep commitment to excellence.  Unfortunately they are no more, the band that is.  But i’m excited for the final chapter in their story as a major film is being released in just a few short weeks.  here’s clip from one of their amazing songs. its sad that the elms aren’t performing together anymore.  it was an amazing ride, yet their legacy and their craft has been captured incredibly well in this video package.  I’m got some other thoughts about Owen, Chris, Thom and Nate (each of them creative geniuses) and will be sharing over the next couple of weeks.  i think i’ve got some vintage video i may try to dig up.  but for sure i hope you’ll check out their website and most importantly think of that rock and roll lover on your Christmas list…they will love this amazing effort…The Last Band on Earth…i promise you get them this dvd & digital download…you’ll be their rock star.

here’s a closing tease from my archives… about 7 years ago the elms opened for switchfoot here in ashland.  one of the greatest images i’ve captured was of owen thomas talking with jon foreman. (thanks to my daughter emmah for finding this image.  its on film…i had forgotten about it).

two amazing musicians- owen thomas and jon foreman

matt says…

this album is about celebrating the many, many, many reasons there are to glory in God…if you ever find yourself a little weary of sleepy or running out of something to say to God that there is something going wrong with your spiritual outlook…there is always something to say to God.

this is a must have album. the words of each song are solid and the tunes are incredibly catchy and engaging. the live aspect of this work adds that much more. personally, tracks 1 – We are the Free, 5: Fires, and 8: We Could Change the World are my favorites.

the high school in joplin has a new name

the words from track 5- Fires has settled deep in to my mind as a song that i think speaks of those we met in joplin on the Present:Hope tour. sitting in the classroom at St Paul’s UMC and hearing of what folks pushed through on that sunday nite in may.  and to hear of how, with the resolve of a deeper faith in a God who provides and is in control-Christ followers are rebuilding their lives one day at a time.  or even how the high school in joplin has been renamed to center everyone’s mind in a practical way.   really encouraging stuff.  check out these lyrics to Fires:

We’re standing in the desert of dry bones
But still we see Your life
Walking through the valley of shadows
But holding onto light
And we’re waiting, waiting on You God
And our hearts will trust, trust in who You are

God who keeps our fires burning
Burning through the darkest night
See the hope in our hearts
The faith in our eyes
You can move the highest mountain
You can keep our dreams alive
You’re the joy of our hearts
You’re the fire in our eyes

Light up our lives with holy flame
All for the honor of Your name
Give us the strength to face the day, Jesus
Light up our lives with holy flame
All for the honor of Your name
Give us the strength to face the day
You’re the fire in our eyes

so get yourself a copy…you’ll be blessed you did.

Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring from Holy Trinity Brompton on Vimeo.

Hanging with my pals: WCRF's "Children's Radio Funhouse" all-stars: Alan Root , Chip Richter, Mark Zimmerman and me.

its been almost a decade since i’ve had a part in leading a summer vacation bible school experience.  and i know how powerful they can be to build community and help strengthen the spiritual formation of our children and even that of the adults who serve.  about 15 years ago i stumbled (providentially) upon Alan Root.  He is a regular on the Children’s Radio Funhouse on the moody station, WCRF-103.3 FM/Cleveland – every saturday morning.  He’s hosted in the spot by Mark Zimmerman who has shepherded this outreach to kids for more than a decade.

We had given some thought about doing our own, locally produced VBS experience.  there’s a lot of good stuff out there to assist, but since we’re a relatively new outpost in the Kingdom, we decided to benchmark our first effort by investing in Alan’s ministry as a means to cast vision for what a VBS can look like.  And we couldn’t be happier with the results.  Alan presented through 3 2.5 hr sessions with our children.

We had a total of 92 children participate and another 72 adults and teens serve as volunteers.  It was held on a Friday evening/Saturday morning and evening session.  33 children made a commitment to grow in their walk with Jesus…split between first time decisions and prayers of assurance.  on sunday morning we combined our two worship services into one family oriented service.  we had the kids lead worship with two songs to start.  Here’s some video.