iMovie

The past three weeks we've been learning how to use iMovie.  Kendall Conner has been teaching the class and doing a great job explaining the program in an understandable way.  I will admit, it was a lot to take in for three weeks but we got it and were able to make our own videos.  We started with clips of Baltimore that he took and we pieced them together how we wanted and learned to edit and cut different clips to shorten or lengthen the time of a iMovie project.  

We learned that there is A LOT to video editing and there is so much that goes on behind the scenes after the videos are shot.  In iMovie you can put music in the background of clips, do voice overs, and even separate the audio file from the video that you're using and sooo much more.  This is useful if you don't want to see the person on a video talking and only want to hear their voice in the background of the movie.  We used a video of Ben for our videos and separated the audio track in order to do what I just explained.  There is so much that you can do with iMovie that it would take me too long to explain it all but I will say that I will be using this a lot more in the future.  

Through this class I found an interest in editing video and will continue to do it.  It is so relevant to our culture today and crucial that we keep up with the latest technologies.  Being tech savvy and good at a multitude of things is going to really help me with the ministry in the future.

Sore...

Needless to say...I'm a little sore from body shop this week.  I did a lot of shoulder and chest work, triceps and biceps.  Yeah...I gave in and used the 20 lb dumbbells at the house. lol  I was able to make the bench incline and decline so I got three different workouts out of that.  It's light weight but I did high reps to make it burn more and make it more effective for me.  Gotta work with whatcha got right? haha  Well anyway, I did quite a bit of core work this week along with running two miles and I decided to change it up a bit in the realm of cardio.  I set up stations in the basement with a mattress that I used as a punching bag and a sleeping bag used for ground pummeling.  The third station was used for sprawling where I would fall on the ground (sprawl) and then jump back up and punch 8 times.  I spent a minute in each one of these stations and rotated through them a few times.  I learned all of this a while back when I took fight classes but haven't done it since...it kicked my butt a little bit. lol  All in all though I got a really great workout this week and it was much less boring than running for all 3 of my hours.

Altogether I got more like 5 hours this week instead of 3 but that's definitely not a bad thing.  All of this is helping me get back in shape and increasing my strength and endurance.  Gotta be ready for the Appalachian Trail!

Your Tempo's Off Bro...

This week we took a class on Garage Band!  Yes yes, it's awesome I know. haha  Needless to say the first time we recorded...the tempo was a little off.  On a serious note though, the class was taught by the one and only Daniel Rogers this week and I think we learned quite a bit from it.  We have an assignment due in a couple weeks in which we have to record a garage band file, 2 minutes in length with 4 or more different tracks.  Personally...I'm pretty excited about getting in to this because if you know anything about me it's that I LOVE music.  Not only do I love music but I love to write music and I'm pretty anxious to get started on it.

An example of using multiple tracks

In the Garage Band 101 class we learned how to record first of all.  We learned how to start and save new files and also how to record more than one track.  We learned about using real instruments and software instruments. We also used the looping system in which you take pre-recorded   tracks on garage band and loop them through in order to create a song.  This works well for people who don't really know how to play an instrument but sing or rap and need music for their songs.  Garage Band has a multitude of uses...anywhere from recording for a personal album or just a small song to use for an event of some type.  We mainly focused on how it could be used for ministry and there are many ways that it can be utilized for that as well.  You could use it for youth events, background tracks for video, songs for altar.  I even joked with Daniel and said that we could use it for lip syncing.  Lip syncing for the hoarse worship leader. haha Of course we would never do that but it was a funny idea....I think so anyway.  Garage Band is a program that I've played around with before along with other recording software but I've never really gotten a chance to actually use it when I want; which is exciting. I'm sure we'll be learning a lot more about Garage Band in the future and I'm looking forward to it.

Body Shop

I want our weights back!! lol  I'm so tired of running and doing push ups.  But nonetheless...I run and do push ups.  I mean I do other things as well for cardio and stuff but nothing new I haven't shared in previous posts.  My upper body just feels weak from the lack of weight training I've been getting.

HOWEVER...this week I did run, run, and run some more. lol  For 3 hours I ran, not in a row mind you, but three hours I did run.  This continues to work heart rate and cardio; effecting major portions of your health.  I did do some core work such as crunches and things but I never do that for too long.  I always throw it in during the running workout.  Anyway, I hope you haven't been too bored with my redundant body shop posts but there they are.

Body Shop

Well this week we went to Knoxville, TN for Smoky MT. Winterfest so I was able to keep up with my body shop at the hotel.  It was all cardio but one of the hours was spent swimming.  It was nice to be able to do something a little different than I usually do.  The other two hours were spent running like I normally do except it was on treadmills this time.  As always things like running and swimming really work on your cardiovascular system and help your heart rate and it burns fat.

Bringing Us Together

This week I learned that I have a BIG family.  It was so incredible to spend a week with other Missions and kinda see that we aren't the only ones out there. haha  It feels like that sometimes so it was nice to get away.  I met a lot of incredible people, all of which who love God with all of their hearts.  I think my favorite part of all this was that we didn't know each other but when everyone got together it was like we were all one big family.  That's exactly what we are...a family. 

All of The Mission's at Lee University

Anthony Braswell

God was really speaking to me through The Mission Gathering about letting go.  There are a lot of things in my life that I needed to let go of in order for God to be able to bring out my full potential and use me for His purpose.  It was a huge point that Anthony Braswell hit on the first night and kept driving it home until we got it.  "You can not be used by God until you allow him to do something to you."  It's such a powerful statement and it spoke to me on so many levels.  Right before this Rhonda Parris was talking about the SAME subject and it seemed like that night was targeted at all of us broken people that were in the crowd.  We were following God but there was something holding us back and it was released on that night.  She said two things that were really good points.

1. 80% of those in the "people industry" (anything dealing with people) have been abused
2. Bodies were designed to respond to touch and it doesn't mean that you're gay because of it

The statistic that she pulled for those in the "people industry" blew my mind.  She said that 80% had been abused in some way...that includes physical, mental, verbal...whatever, they have been abused.  When she said the second thing it was one of those Ah-Hah! moments for me.  There are so many people that think they are homosexuals because of the circumstances they've been dealt.  Maybe they were influenced that way as a kid or they hate men/women because of how they were touched or treated.  When she talked about this she used an example with one of the girls in the room and I'm paraphrasing..."If we took this girl and blindfolded here and stuck her at the front of the room and let everyone touch her she wouldn't know whether it was man, women, 6 year old, or 60 year old."  Her point was that human bodies are designed to respond to touch, wherever it comes from, and just because you respond a certain way to it doesn't mean that you're a homosexual.

The last thing I want to leave you guys with is for all of my men out there.  Especially if you are in the ministry because that is where Satan attacks the hardest.  He attacks in our minds and our desires...I know we all struggle with it even though most won't admit it, so I'm just going to put these points down here that Anthony Braswell taught us.  This is all from his session with us on purity.  Really read these and take them to heart.  Apply them to your life.  Don't fail at the calling God has placed on your life!

Safeguards Against Failure (Purity):

1. Stay Humble!
2. Realize: God's blessing does not keep you from temptation!
3. Count the Cost! (The cost is minimized in "the moment")
4. Keep Resisting!
5. Avoid temptation zones! (We all know what those are)
6. Flee!!!

1 Corinthians 6:18 - "Flee sexual immorality"

2 Timothy 2:22 - "Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart."

Stay strong in all that you do and always remember that you can only do it because of GOD!

Indescribable

God is Indescribable.  Everything He does, everything He's created...I can't even begin to explain it.  For my final discussion post in Earth Science this week I had to watch 5 parts to a message by Louie Giglio called Indescribable.  He went through all the things that God had created in the Universe.  He talked about the galaxies and the planets, how intense the sun was etc.  It really put a lot of things in perspective for me.  The God of the universe that created all of these things chose to make himself low for me and die so that I could live.  It's an incredible concept that's hard for me to completely wrap my mind around but I accept it and know it to be truth.  It's just a testament to how much He really does love us. 


Giglio talked about how light moves at 700 million miles an hour and that when God spoke light into existence...it moved at that speed.  Can you imagine?  God speaking this awesome thing into existence.  Light takes 8 min and 20 seconds to reach the earth from the sun.  That's 500 seconds.  500 seconds!  Light was coming out of God's mouth at 700 MILLION MILES AND HOUR.  That's incredible!


Giglio blew my mind with one quote that made me realize how narrow minded I had been when it came to looking at the universe...

"Scientists are stomped. One of their dilemmas is that they think there must be more inhabited planets in the universe. And one of the arguments, I think its a great argument, is; if the universe is just simply a habitation for you and me, than it's way over sized. To which I go right on to that; I think it might be a little too big if its just a home for you and for me. But what if the primary purpose of the universe is not to be a home for you and me, but what if it's primary purpose is to show off the splendor and the majesty and the greatness and the glory of the God who created it all, and the universe is not too big at all. The universe is just the right size after all." - Louie Giglio -

Doesn't that blow your mind?  I know that my whole mindset was completely changed.  How dare I think that I'm bigger than God?  That he created this universe just for me and you.  God created the universe to show off his majesty and his greatness.  He is an awesome God and it's seen through his creation.  I just think that it's something Christians need to hear in order to have a bit of humility instilled in them.  God is big and we are small.  It's not the other way around.  We didn't create God...God created us.  Lets start to act like it.

This is the video in full (English with Spanish subtitles)

Body Shop

This week I had 3 hours of running but throughout the running I did things like pushups, and jump ups; things to make it a little more intense.  I used to do it back when I was training for the marines but I was definitely in better shape then. haha  Unfortunately I wasn't able to do any weights this week but I did try and make up for it with the push ups and some ab work too.  I did all the things that I would normally do along with my weight workout except...without the weights.  These things continue to benefit my cardio and help my heart rate, along with burning fat.