Author Archive

Behind the Music in español

!Hola mis amigos! Hello my friends! Great news guys! We’re finally finishing up production of Amazing Wonders Aviation! WOO HOO! It’s crazy/busy around here but even more so for those responsible for translating VBS into Spanish! One of many things that has to be produced is the Spanish music video. Filming was last week so yours truly slapped on my photog hat and snapped a few behind the scene shots for you. Enjoy!!

Constanza Zurita—our "amazing" on-camera host—gets camera-ready with Vanessa Sellers—make-up artist extraordinaire.

Constanza dreams of someday singing in the LifeWay choir! jk

Our on-camera host Constanza Zurita and Jeff Slaughter—what a great team!

Our friend and fellow VBS teammate Lynne Norris produced the EBV (akaVBS) Spanish choreography/music video along with Tim Cox, director/Camera operator and Steve Fralick, audio/lighting. Lynne was also joined by Alyssa Goins from LifeWay’s Music Department (VBS music wouldn’t get done without her!) and Angel Ortiz who is in charge of translating ALL of our Spanish products!

Steve Fralick, Lynne Norris, Tim Cox, Vanessa Sellers (hiding!), ALyssa Goins, Angel Ortiz

It was fun to watch as they worked up new motions. Yes! New motions! Why you ask? Well, it seems some words—even words used in our title—do no translate in Spanish. So new words equals new motions.

"It's Maravillas INCREI´BLES de la Aviacio´n!"

Constanza spent a lot of time and research finding just the right motions for the translation. Kudos to Konstanza!

cooool—motion blurrr

Hasta luego mis amigos! …see you later my friends!

Is VBS Worth it?

Hey guys!

Like you – I love VBS. But sometimes I wonder – is it all worth it?

VBS is runnin’ full blast at FBC Nashville this week – sets are being built for VBS 2012 photo/video shoot – 2012 VBS production is well under way – the team is already talkin’ about 2013 VBS – bags are packed for a mission trip to help FBC youth group teach not only one but four VBSs in California – it’s like VBS 24/7! For many of you – it’s the same thing – VBS 24/7!

Ever wonder why do all this? Is it worth it?

Remember Game Day Central? I was an assistant teacher that year. My son Evan was in my class – not by design – it just so happened that’s where the director needed to place me. It was ABC day and Evan pulled the teacher and me aside wanting to know more about becoming a Christian. He and I had talked before, several times, during devotionals at home or on the way somewhere – you know – those random conversations kids have with you sometimes. This time was different. It was time. You could feel it.

So, when the other kids in class moved to the next rotation, Evan, the teacher and I knelt in the classroom and I had the privilege of leading my son in a very special prayer – a prayer to ask Jesus Christ into his heart and life! It’s been a while but that still makes me smile!

So – is VBS worth it?

You bet!!

Tell us about your VBS experieince! Is it worth it for you? We’d love to hear!

To Ruminate or Not to Ruminate?

ru·mi·nate (verb) : to engage in contemplation : reflect

Memorial Day is a good day to ruminate – and when I ruminate, I usually pray.

Each night, my youngest son and I read a few pages out of a classic book, have a little devotional time and say a little prayer. Each night, my son prays for our soldiers and their families. Do these little prayers really matter? I think so.

Peter Kreeft does too: “I strongly suspect that if we saw all the difference even the tiniest of our prayers make, and all the people those little prayers were destined to affect, and all the consequences of those prayers down through the centuries, we would be so paralyzed with awe at the power of prayer that we would be unable to get up off our knees for the rest of our lives.”

So, on this Memorial Day, with hearts full of gratitude, let’s remember as we pray (even a little prayer) for anyone we may know in military service and their families and thank God for all who have given their lives for our freedom.


New York Stories – Videos!

Hey guys. While looking up more stuff about Eric Mataxas—the guy that wrote the Bonhoeffer bio I told you about—I found this great video series. http://newbirthportraits.com/gallery/10 This link takes you directly to Eric’s story. In the “Gallery” you’ll find 10 different people, all New Yorkers, telling their salvation stories.The parallel with Big Adventure doesn’t end there. One of the stories, a lady tells about her life and how she relates so well to the biblical story of the woman at the well, Big Apple Adventure‘s Day 4 story.

I hope you find these New York stories about God’s love as inspiring as I did. Let me know what you think? Enjoy!

Bonhoeffer—Where Faith and Life Connect!

Most people think graphic designers don’t like to read. For the most part, it’s true. We like pictures—and lots of them. Most of the books I own are picture books. Most of them are children’s books with page after page of big beautiful art and very little text.

I guess that’s why folks were surprised when they found out I was reading “Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy”. It’s Eric Mataxas’ latest book. 542 pages of text, plus 49 more pages of notes and index. That’s a lot of words—even for avid readers.

There are a few pictures, great ones too, but if that’s still too much copy for you, flip to page 484. It’s worth the read. It’s a letter from Diedrich. Imprisoned and facing an uncertain future, he wrote the following:
“I discovered later, and am still discovering right up to this moment, that it is only by living completely in this world that one learns to have faith. . . . One must completely abandon any attempt to make something of oneself, whether it be a saint, or a converted sinner, or a churchman (a so called priestly type), a righteous man or an unrighteous one, a sick man or a healthy one. By ‘this-worldliness’ I mean living unreservedly in life’s duties, problems, successes and failures, experiences and perplexities. In so doing we throw ourselves completely into the arms of God, taking seriously not our own sufferings, but those of God in the world—watching Christ in Gethsemane. That, I think, is faith, that is repentance, and that is how one becomes a man and a Christian. How can success make us arrogant or failure lead us astray when we share in God’s sufferings through a life of this kind?  . . . May God in his mercy lead us through these times, but above all, may he lead us to himself”.

Commenting on this quote Mataxas writes,  “…with the Christian life …there is always the temptation to use the Christian faith as a means to escape life rather than as a means to live life more fully”.

Wow! Just scanning headline news makes me want to “escape life” nearly everyday. It’s no picture book out there! However, that’s not what the Lord has asked any of us to do.  He wants us “living completely in this world”—the very place where faith and life connect. Shouldn’t we help others do the same? Especially kids? Perhaps through Big Apple Adventure, we can point kids to Jesus Christ, the only One who can truly help them live their lives completely in this world.

Many of the kids we meet in VBS are facing some really tough life situations. Let’s meet them there, live along side them, and “. . . May God in his mercy lead us through these times, but above all, may he lead us to himself”.

Do you have any stories you want to share about “living life completely in this world”? Where faith and life connect? Maybe some “front line” stories you’ve heard from the kids in your VBS? Share them here. We’d be glad to help you face them.