The equipment list is pretty straight forward. You need a video camera, a tripod, an audio input or microphone and a way to edit the footage and upload it. When looking for the specific items to put on this list I wanted equipment that would be easy to use and reasonably priced. I’ve listed B & H as my supplier, but these items are available at many retailers.

The Camera
Sanyo Xacti HD1000 HD Camcorder
I really like this camera because it natively records in the MPEG4 AVC/H.264 format. This makes it a perfect companion for people editing their podcasts in iMovie. Another great feature about this camera is that it records directly to high capacity SD cards, eliminating the need for capturing your footage. Just plug the camera into any USB port on your computer and drag and drop the footage.

You can go with less expensive camera options that record straight to a memory card, but the Xacti has a mic input, key to getting great sound. For the best results, I highly recommend placing the camera so that you can get an audio feed direct from the sound system. If that isn’t possible, get a shotgun microphone place it on a stand. Whatever you do, don’t rely on the on-board mic.

The Battery
You might consider an extra battery for your camera. I have been saved more than once by having a fully charged extra on hand. DB-L50AU Lithium-Ion Battery

The Memory Card
Sandisk 16GB SDHC Card
The Sanyo Xacti will let you record video and still photos right to a standard SD or SDHC Memory Card. A 16GB SDHC card will give you almost 3 hours of 1080i high-definition video. Not bad.

The Card Reader
Some of you may want to use a card reader to transfer the video files instead of connecting the camera to the computer. AAn inexpensive reader is the MicroMate.

The Tripod
Typically for a simple video podcast of an event like a church service you’re going to want to set up the camera and let it record the entire event without moving it. This requires a tripod. There are a lot of tripod options out there. I particularly like the ones by Manfrotto.

The Editing Software
One church I did this research for uses Apple computers. I recommend using iMovie since it comes on the mac and is very easy to use. It has preset export options for video podcasting. For more professional installations, you might consider Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro.

That’s the list I’ve come up with. There are a lot of different options out there, but this seemed to fit the bill for my clients and I hope you find this useful as well.

On this trip to Burkina Faso I have faced some real mental challenges when it comes to food. One of the days we went to shoot the grand opening of two new bush chapels. After the first ceremony was over, I sat on the bench that had been brought out under the mango tree for the guests and waited in terrified expectation.

The large rice bowl of gritty white rice was carried on a hostess’s head to the center of the circle of benches where I sat. Three other smaller covered pots were soon presented also.

A case of warm fruit cocktail Fanta soda was paraded out and each guest was given their own bottle. After that the non-members under another tree were given one bottle which they passed around, each taking a swig. I felt ashamed that I had so much when they did not. The children had none. To refuse mine to give to them would have been an insult.

At last the lids came off two of the small pots. Sauce! This oily brown conglomeration of mystery meat and leaves defies description. Suffice it to say that it is not something this semi-vegetarian’s stomach does well on.

With a prayer for fortitude and gratitude for the hospitality I was being extended, I began to eat. Forcing every bite past unwilling lips while seeming to enjoy the food is an art form I am learning to perfect. I discovered that if I don’t look directly at the spoon while bringing the food to my mouth, I can trick my brain into opening my jaw. You should try it sometime.

I almost forgot to mention the best part. After the sauce and rice was passed out, they brought out another pot—chicken. Here in Burkina Faso they don’t believe in wasting any part of an animal. It looked as if the entire chicken had been chopped up and thrown into the pot sans feathers. Feet and neck toothsomely beckoned from the pot’s maw. I waved this delicacy past as politely as possible. Somehow not knowing what is in the sauce I’m eating on the rice seems the lesser of two evils. I saved half of my Fanta to wash everything down with.

Watching the people around me eating takes some getting used to. They eat with their right hand. They don’t use utensils. It all seems do different to the tidy way I’ve been brought up to eat. You can’t blame them though. Poverty is rampant here and spoons and forks are luxuries.

There is such a contrast to be sitting so far removed from modern civilization and at the same time attempting to comprehend the mind and life of a man so devoted to physics and science. Mathematical equations and experiments seem so foreign in this land of mud houses, sun and heat.

Women’s voices and children’s banter form the underscore to the leaves rustling in the wind above me. In this intense solar barrage, one must retreat to cooling shade whenever possible. I’ve found it beneath the verdant branches of a spreading mango tree. A calabash gourd sits next to the women under the tree by the truck. It’s half-full of clear water, pulled from a deep well nearby. Young boys sit on a bench and laugh and play while they intermittently stare at the white man writing and reading in the pickup.

A man just rode up on an old bicycle and came and wanted to shake hands. Greetings are very important here, even if you interrupt someone.  After we shake hands he leaned against the truck. His unwashed body odor catches on the breeze and blows in the open door of the truck. Flies buzz about my ankles. A baby fusses. Soon the mother reaches into her blouse and exposes her breast for the child to nurse.

Finishing the Einstein story, I turn my iPod off and contemplate what I’ve read. I’m struck by his view of government and what he advocated. He believed that world government was the only way to avoid war and people taking advantage of others.

From my perspective in the West African bush I can clearly see how true his insights were. It’s only when God establishes universal government that suffering and selfishness that has kept these people in such poverty will end. Their subsistence lives will likely not change as long as there are despots clambering for power ad supreme nations striving to keep their global positions of power.

Einstein’s humble view of God is also inspiring and yet saddening. “A spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe,” he wrote, “a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one, in the face of which, we with our modest powers must feel humble.”

As he sought to unravel the divine mysteries of the cosmos, Einstein clearly saw God at work in the physical laws and order he discovered in the natural world. In spite of his acknowledgement of God, he did not seem to find Him as the answer to the world’s pain and chaos. He turned to world government and a pure form of socialism as the answer instead. While this is the ultimate solution, it will only come through the Creator that so awed and inspired Einstein.

Our recent photo acquisition trip to the Northwest reminded my team of the beauty and splendor to be found there. We feasted our eyes on the rugged rocks and stormy waves and ambled along several beaches eyes searching for treasure.

On this particular visit, not only did we encounter breathtaking views, we discovered some new treasures and revisited some old favorites. One place in particular that holds many memories is Mossy Creek Pottery. This unique art studio and gallery offers artwork that is both functional and beautiful. Visitors can spend a good hour browsing and enjoying the wide variety of pieces and designs.

Herod arrested John the Baptist and had thrown him into prison. In Luke he sends two of his disiples to Jesus to ask him a question. Like us, he wanted to know if Jesus was for real. “Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?” John had peached to large crowds in the wilderness and baptised many preparing the way for the Messiah. His question indicates a man wondering if his life work was worth the current suffering he was in.

It is interesting to watch how Jesus responds to John’s question; his doubt even. Immediately (The New King James version says, “that very hour”.) Jesus cured many sick, cast out demons, and restored sight to blind people. Then, Jesus told John’s people to return John with a message.

I find it interesting that Jesus tells them to do three things. First, He said to tell John what they have seen. It would have been incredible to watch Jesus in action, to see the joy on people’s faces as their lives were made whole again. Then, He said to tell what they had heard. Can you imagine the sounds that would have accompanied that healing session? I’m sure it was something you wouldn’t easily forget. Finally, Jesus said to tell John that, “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

Jesus message to John is a message of courage. By his actions he signaled that he was the Messiah. He quoted the words of Isaiah in his message to reafirm John’s life work; what he had been preaching about was true.

Luke’s account of John’s discouragement reminds me to remember what God has done for me in the past. When I’m feeling down I can remember what I have seen Him do and what I have heard Him say to me. It’s a reminder to look at the ways God has led me in the past and to remember that I am blessed if I don’t allow my doubt to cause me to fall away from Christ.

I was in Colorado last week for a few days. On the spur-of-the-moment some friends and I decided to hike Long’s Peak. We’d scrounged around to find the needed gear and then dropped into bed to get four hours of sleep before getting up to start our hike at 2:30 AM. (In order to climb Long’s Peak, you have to start before 4 AM so you can be off the summit before noon when thunderstorms start rolling in.)

We were on the trail by 3:30 AM. Using head lamps and flashlights we made our way up the mountain in the dark through the alpine forest, then on up above tree line.

Each step brought new sensations. At first my hip hurt, then as that pain receded, my neck and shoulders began to ache. I kept climbing, one step at a time.

As I hiked I thought of the parallels to the Christian walk. At times we are faced with hardships and trials. Just as I kept my eyes fixed on the rocky path in front of me on that dark mountainside, we as Christians must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Also, as I climbed, the pain eventually subsided and the sun finally came up, lighting my path. With our eyes on Jesus, our trials will pass and one day we will see the Son coming for us.

Charlie, Chris, and Kent made it all the way to 14,259 ft, the highest spot in the Rocky Mountain National Park (I was forced to stop just a little lower at 13,748). The sights we saw and the lessons learned won’t soon be forgotten.

I tried it out and this is what I came up with. It told me that so far i’ve visited 7% of the world’s countries. Pretty cool.

My map.

Create your own visited countries map.

I serve as a worship leader for my church and so yesterday during the service I invited people to share verses that relate to freedom.

The subsequent response was nothing short of a God moment. People all through the congregation shared their favorite freedom texts.
One that stands out in my mind is from Psalm 107. The entire chapter talks about God’s deliverance, however verse 14 is especially descriptive. “He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their chains in pieces.”

When we turn to God for freedom from sin, the chains we’ve been bound by hold no power. They will drop away because of the price that Jesus paid on Calvary. No longer do we have to be captives. As long as we choose to follow God and live by His power and strength, we are free.

From my own experience, i know this is true. It is only when I turn my life over to Christ and allow Him to fight my battles that I find peace and victory. Praise God!

While working on a recent project that involved organizing a large amount of information into an easily navigable structure, I came across the CSS sliding door technique.

This lightweight styling for tabs allows the designer to easily categorize information. Unlike  rollover images where you have to rely on JavaScript and a separate image for each state, this approach uses four images that load only once and are used for each tab regardless of size.

If you’re looking for a way to create a tabbed navigation using CSS, I encourage you to check this method out.

]]> http://joyfullcreations.com/journal/archives/15/feed http://joyfullcreations.com/journal/archives/15 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JoyfullCreations/~3/282243574/12 http://joyfullcreations.com/journal/archives/12#comments Sun, 25 Jun 2006 15:10:15 +0000 Jay Wintermeyer http://joyfullcreations.com/journal/archives/12 We’re pleased to announce that we are working with Adventist Church Connect to produce a new promo video as part of their marketing campaign for this new web initiative for the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

This project is shaping up to be fun and interesting. Staty tuned for more details and a sneak preview soon.