December 24, 2007

Christmas at Belmont

Monday, December 24, 9:00pm

CHANNEL 2 (AETN/ARKANSAS ETV NETWORK) PBS

We hope you will be able to join us and the entire Belmont University community in viewing this program and celebrating the Christmas Season.

Christmas at Belmont 2007

1900 Belmont Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37212-3757
School of Music Phone: 615-460-6408

December 10, 2007

Time Management for Creative People - Free E-book






Mark McGuinness, a poet and business coach, has written an excellent guide for the rest of us! Forward a copy to your staff or team.

~D1

_______________________________

My series on Time Management for Creative People is now available to download as a free e-book. It’s subtitled ‘Manage the Mundane - Create the Extraordinary’ as it’s designed to help you maintain your creative focus while dealing with your other commitments.

It’s published under a Creative Commons licence which means you are welcome to share it on a noncommercial basis with anyone you think would like it, as long as you keep it intact with my name on it. (N.B. the images are licensed from istockphoto, so you should obtain a licence from them if you want to use them in other contexts - photographer credits are on p.2)

October 29, 2007

John Paul Sawatski

John Paul Sawatski
October 26, 2007


John Paul Sawatski, born October 2, 1951 in Little Rock. He entered the presence of the Lord on October, 26, 2007. He was 56. John was happiest when surrounded by his family, playing his guitar, working on a project, or coaching youth in baseball, softball or basketball.

John played professional baseball in the Cardinal’s organization. He was a real estate appraiser. He gave countless hours of service at Pulaski Academy, at Fellowship Bible Church and in the community.

John was preceded in death by his father, Carl and his grandparents.

He is survived by his wife, Treva; children, Jay, Carla, and Johanna; mother, Dorothy; a brother, Charles; aunts, uncles, nephews and many friends.

Visitation will be at Roller-Chenal Funeral Home on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 from 6 to 8 P.M.

The celebration of John’s life will be Wednesday, October 31, 2007 at 12 noon at Fellowship Bible Church with Dr. Robert Lewis and David Bruns officiating. Interment will follow at Pinecrest Memorial Park, Alexander, Arkansas.

Memorials may be made to Fellowship Bible Church, 1901 Napa Valley Dr., Little Rock, Arkansas 72212, or John Sawatski Baseball Memorial, Pulaski Academy, 12701 Hinson Road, Little Rock, Arkansas 72212.
________________________________________________________________

I will always remember John as a servant, willing to do anything; as insightful, he usually had an opinion and was usually right, and as faithful. He will be truly missed as one of the spiritual pillars of this Christ-following community.

I'm sure he's probably already found a worship band in heaven to play in.

October 26, 2007

Come Back Appeal


This phrase really caught my attention. Is this really the end of our worship services?

Have you or your church used a worship consultant?

  • Come back appeal

    The bottom line at the end of every service is did we give the congregation something to make them want to come back.
    We hear many churches say they do a good job of getting people to come to their events. It’s not that good of a job if they don’t come back to your services. PCC will work with the structure of your service to increase the appeal to make people want to come again.

October 23, 2007

MBCC Ext 201

I recorded this yesterday by dialing Myrtle Beach Community Church, selecting "1", and then extension 201.

Hat's off to my brother, Damon, and friend, Craig Cheney, for having the hottest church outreach program I've ever heard!

D

Get this widget | Track details | eSnips Social DNA

October 10, 2007

The Adcock Family Blog & Adoption Story

Hey friends, we're launching a new blog.

http://theadcockfamily.blogspot.com/

Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheLordProvidedATreeJonah46

This is the story of the Adcock family. Our journey together. And our journey to adopt a precious little girl from China we've only met in our prayers. We currently reside in Little Rock, AR.

September 27, 2007

Going All The Way ~ Groeschel

Going All the Way


“Going all the way” used to mean getting what you want from the opposite sex now…and paying for it later.

It’s time to redefine.

Smart advice for a new generation about love, sex, and happily ever after.

You’ve seen marriages fail time and again. Even relationships you thought were bullet proof don’t last. Once promising couples dissolve in the acid of selfishness, conflict, or unfaithfulness… or fade away to a cold, gray lovelessness. No wonder that for our generation, “getting what you want” is often a substitute for love, and disillusionment about marriage is the new normal.

So what do you do if you want a marriage that doesn’t just survive, but thrives? That doesn’t just begin romantically but ends magnificently? Answer: You do something different.

Whether you’re thinking ahead to marriage, are about to be wed, or have been married for a while and want to make changes, this book can help. Going All the Way will guide you through the choices and commitments you need to make now in order to build a strong and vibrant relationship that will go the distance. In a world where going all the way means putting yourself first, author Craig Groeschel will show you how, by putting God first, you can build a soul-enriching, lifelong relationship.

With practical, candid discussions about sex, first dates, integrity, forgiveness, and communication, Craig will help you prepare for and experience a relationship that gives fresh, hope-filled meaning to “going all the way” with the one you love.

April 18, 2007

The Case for Creativity

Humorous and genius perspective on creativity and education.

                
Sir Ken Robinson  makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. Robinson is author of "Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative", and a leading expert on innovation and human resources. (Recorded February 2006 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 20:03) - More TEDTalks at http://www.ted.com
               
 powered by clipmarksblog it

March 07, 2007

Why the Music Industry Needs A Makeover



Why the Music Industry Needs A Makeover

A recent article in Crain's New York Business (subscription required), titled "Music Labels' New Leaders," explores the music industry's shift to hiring the hippest hitmakers to man the helm of many top -level positions in the business.

This trend is just one play -- of many -- in the book of record labels trying to turn the business around. The fact that record labels need some assistance is no secret. Just look at EMI's recent rejection of Warner's bid ($4.1 billion) for acquisition -- because it was reportedly too low. Further proof of the dire straits that the music industry is in comes from the aforementioned Crain's article itself:

"Overall album sales in 2006 were down 1.2%, to 646.6 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan -- despite a dramatic rise in legal digital downloads. Analysts predict that the market will weaken further this year."

Surely hiring the hottest producers of the moment isn't going to be enough to make up for those sales, mainly because the music business isn't just about music sales. Here's an insider's view on the measures the music industry can employ to better connect their artists with the artists' fans, and hopefully to even garner some new ones for them.

On February 21, Fast Company held a roundtable discussion with leaders in the music industry to discuss the future of music. Panelists included, Grammy winner John Legend, Musictoday CEO Nathan Hubbard, VP-A Capitol Records David Wolter, OK GO's viral marketer Jorge Just, and associate chair of the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music Jason King.



Click on title links to watch video clips from this discussion:






Branding the Music Artist



Long Tail of Music



Music Marketing 2.0



The Future of Music







powered by performancing firefox

January 31, 2007

Boy’s Bubble Wrap Invention Helps Amputees

Boy’s Bubble Wrap Invention Helps Amputees


The Associated Press:

You can do a lot with Bubble Wrap.
A Tennessee teenager has used it to fashion an inexpensive cosmetic covering for artificial limbs.

Grayson Rosenberger said his inspiration was his mom, a double
amputee who has a ministry that provides artificial limbs to Third
World countries.

The 15-year-old Nashville youngster said he used a heat gun to mold
Bubble Wrap around a prosthetic limb, providing muscle-like tone and
shape to the steel rod attached to a foot. He said it rivals other
coverings that cost more than $1,000.

Rosenberger’s invention was his entry in the first-ever Bubble
Wrap Competition for Young Inventors, conducted by Bubble Wrap creator
Sealed Air Corporation. He won the grand prize: a $10,000 savings bond.


Photo by BusinessWire.

In Ideas, Teens, Invention, Niche, Healthcare

powered by performancing firefox

January 30, 2007

Hometown sweetheart charms 'Idol' judges


Hometown sweetheart charms 'Idol' judges
Simon Cowell describes her as in top 2% of contestants

By JILL CECIL WIERSMA
Staff Writer, The Tennessean

BRENTWOOD — Apologetically shy, Brentwood resident Melinda Doolittle took a deep breath and belted out "For Once in My Life" at the American Idol tryouts and earned herself a ticket to Hollywood.

The 28-year old backup artist and 1999 graduate of Belmont University said she was ready to overcome her timid ways and take a try at center stage. Her song selection summed it up well:

"For once unafraid
I can go where life leads me
And somehow I know I'll be strong."

Doolittle's powerful rendition of the Stevie Wonder classic won over all three celebrity judges, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and even stodgy Simon Cowell, who said she is in the top 2 percent of their contestants this year.

It comes as no surprise to those who know Doolittle and were rooting for her before the Memphis auditions aired on Fox Tuesday.

Fairview fan believes


"I was thrilled for her," said Jeff Kirk, director of events and administrator/coordinator of commercial music at Belmont.

"I think they were dead on," Kirk said. "She is an amazing talent. It was an excellent song choice. She has great pitch and phrasing. It really showed off her voice. It's not an easy song to sing."

Kirk said he raced to his Fairview home just in time to watch her on the Tuesday night airing. The next day at Belmont, people in the music department gathered around to watch her performance again.

"She just has an amazing voice and, beyond that, she is an incredible person," he said. "What you saw on the show with her seeming to not be a pushy person, that is exactly her. She is a very service-oriented person. What they don't see is when she gets on stage, she commands the audience."

In her senior year at Belmont, Doolittle was selected as an artist in the Commercial Music Showcase. Kirk still has a poster of the event, which includes a picture of Doolittle, on his office door. He said she was already making a name for herself at that time. Years since, Doolittle has been a judge for the showcase.

"She comes over for no pay and volunteers to help us out," he said. "She goes out into the community and talks about Belmont. We couldn't get better publicity for our school. I think she will do exceptionally well. Her voice is so rich and strong that she could do all sorts of things, from gospel to country, without missing a beat."

Doing what she loves

Even though Cowell, Abdul and Jackson said they loved her, her audition didn't go without getting a little gruff. Cowell asked if she hates every artist she's sung in the background for and wanted to know if she ever wished they would fall off stage so she could take their place.

"Oh goodness no," Doolittle said on the show, adding that the background has always been her comfort zone.

Doolittle's MySpace page shows a more playful side than Cowell, Abdul and Jackson got to see in her audition. She says she can be silly and relies on a sense of humor to get her by in the ever-changing music business.

"I know it is one of the hugest blessings to do what I love all day, everyday and I pray I never take that for granted," she wrote. "Dream God-size dreams and you can never go wrong. Love big, dream big and believe it will happen."