This video gives a message of hope even through the storms of life. It reminds us that our God is great and our strength comes from Him alone. We pray you and your church are blessed by this message.

*Update, In addition to the free video download Igniter Media has released 2 free still images to help your church, Download both below:

Thanks to everyone who participated! If you didn’t win, you can grab a copy of Scott’s book here!

Dale and Luke went on location to Watermark Community Church to discuss some upcoming conferences. We hope you can make it to one these conferences and be inspired, and network with other visual worship leaders/creatives, and to access tools and resources for your ministry

Create Conference 2013

National Worship Leaders Conference

Echo Conference 2013

I’m always on the lookout for new backgrounds to add to my media library that are “evergreen” – meaning they can be used in a number of services and are not tied to a specific season or style. Our producers are always cranking out these kinds of motion and still backgrounds, so be sure you’re always checking the Just Added sort at WHM.

Here are a few that caught my eye recently, and that I’ll be using at my church in the near future.

Heavenly Particles 03 by Centerline New Media – Really nice depth and movement in this spacey motion. Would be great for songs like Tomlin’s Our God or Paul Baloche’s Hosanna (Praise is Rising) or any song dealing with the majesty of God.

Worn Out Sunshine by Church Motion Graphics – Looking for something that’s bright, but not too bright? You found it. Great for early in the set and pairs well with songs like Forever Reign from Hillsong and Mighty to Save.

Come Alive by Floodgate Productions – The opposite of Worn Out Sunshine, this is great for when you want something dark, but not too dark. I love the idea of light bursting through the darkness. Great for songs like Shout to the Lord and Tomlin’s Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) that shift in energy levels throughout the song.

Roses Orange-Loop by Igniter Media – When you’re looking for something that’s bright and full of life, this is a great choice. Great for songs early in your set like 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) by Matt Redman and Blessed Be Your Name.

Seven Star Mountain 5 by Playback Media – Add a little extra depth to your background with this gorgeous mountain scene. (And No, I did not just pick this because I’m already ready for my trip to the Rockies this summer). I love using nature-themed backgrounds for songs about God’s greatness like How Great Thou Art, How Great is Our God, and Benton Brown’s Everlasting God.

Rainy Night 2 by Graceway Media – I’m a sucker for motions like this. Watching rain fall on the glass at night is something we can all relate to, and using that image in worship draws the congregation into that shared experience. This is great for more reflective songs like The Stand and It is Well.

What are some of your favorite backgrounds, and what songs do you use them with?

I’ve been known to say a couple of contradictory things about leading visual worship:

1. Like a good cat burglar, if a visual worship leader is doing their job, no one will know they’re there.

2. Visual worship will impact people when images are thrown on the screen that subvert their expectations.

It’s hard to subvert an expectation when no one knows you’re there. So how do I reconcile the two?

Last week, at Luminous Project in Nashville, Nate Ragan put it into really simple terms. Paraphrase: “The Visual Worship Leader does two things: Create Environments and Tell Stories. Sometimes they do this at the same time, and sometimes they do the two independently of each other.”

For me, “Creating Environments” is the cat burglar thing. I want to create an environment in the services I’m leading where visuals deepen and enrich worship in ways that, hopefully, go unnoticed by the worshipper. I don’t want their focus to be on what I’m projecting; I want their focus to be on the True Object of their worship.

The “Telling Stories” thing is where I want people to engage with what’s on the screen in such a way that it draws them into a larger story, and gives them new eyes to see God in a fresh way. The images are meant to be noticed, and the worshipper is invited into a new way of seeing and thinking.

I loved the way Nate Ragan and Stephen Proctor did both at Luminous, using some of The Work of the People‘s Visual Liturgies. Here are a few they used:

Telling Stories: Psalm 107 and The Merton Prayer

Creating Environments: Doves Loop and Rejoice Loop-1 (Note: these are longer than 30 seconds, and are meant to have some abstract components).

How do you create environments and tell stories through visual worship?

At our core, WorshipHouse exists to put the right tools and resources in your hands so that you can be better equipped to proclaim the life-giving story of Jesus. And we don’t want you to just get any old resource, but the best of the best…

…so we’re giving away five copies of Scott McClellan’s new book, Tell Me a Story. Details below.

I’ve known Scott for a number of years and I’m always impressed by his wisdom and insight. As the Editor of Collide Magazine, Director of Echo Conference, and now the Communications Pastor at Irving Bible Church, Scott has lived and breathed the day in and day out of church communications and message development. And he lives it with the right combination of grace and a little dry humor.

In Tell Me a Story, Scott re-introduces us to a God who tells great stories, invites us into His Great Story and calls us to become great storytellers. By looking at the parts of any good narrative (character, narrator, conflict, purpose, etc.), we’re encouraged to live and to tell better stories. Whether we’re preaching, leading worship, running slides, caring for kids, or loving our spouse, this is something each of us are tasked with.

Scott’s hope and prayer “is that this book will convince you to identify yourself as a storyteller, an artist committed to narrative, and that in so doing you’ll experience God and your life more deeply than you did before.” We think Scott’s prayer can be answered and his hope fulfilled, so we want you to be exposed to this wonderful book.

CONTEST RULES: Just leave a comment here. Any comment. Why you want to read the book. Why you think it’ll be good for you and your team. Ask questions. Tell us about your ministry. Tell us about your hopes for better storytelling. Or just say Hello. We’ll pick a winner at random from all the comments we’ve received by Sunday night, May 19th, at Midnight CST. We’ll then notify the winners and ship your books!

Go!

So you’ve found (or are planning to find) the perfect mini movie to intro your sermon or service the week, honoring moms for all that they do in the lives of children, young and old… BUT, you want to take your Mother’s Day Service to the next level. Take a look at some of our motion backgrounds, splash screens, stills, and countdowns. Here are a few of our favorites:

Motions
A splash screen is a great way to intro your service or transition from element to element. We love Mother’s Day Butterflies by Graceway Media and Mother’s Day Flowers by Life Scribe Media. Splash screens not your thing, but you still want to put something pretty up during worship for all the moms out there? Try Spring Flowers 02 from Centerline New Media.

Countdowns
One of the easiest ways to add a little something special into your service for moms, is a pre-service countdown. We really like Happy Mother’s Day Countdown from Centerline New Media (for something simple), Mother Always Said Countdown by Igniter Media (for something funny and sweet), and Mother’s Day Countdown from Life Scribe Media (for something a little shorter).

Collections
No post from me would be complete without a little love for collections. I love service packs and bundles because they allow you to brand your entire service around a unified theme AND they save you a bundle (get it?) of money. For Mother’s Day, we like Centerline New Media’s Mini-Pack: Mother’s Day Vol. 1, Playback Media’s Mother’s Day Digital Bundle, and Floodgate Productions’ Mother’s Day Watercolor Service Pack.

We’d love to share more of our favorites, but we’d rather point you to our Mother’s Day Store, FILLED with excellent media. You’re sure to find just the right mini movies, countdowns, motions and more for your services this Sunday.

I’ll Need You Mom by Igniter Media

My favorite video is “I’ll Need You Mom.” As a daughter, and also as the mom of a 6 year old, I’m frequently reminded that we never outgrow needing our moms’ love. This video reminds kids why moms are so important – perfect for Mother’s Day!

A Very Special Mommy by Steelehouse Media

My favorite video is “A Very Special Mommy.” The unfiltered and honest responses from kids are not only entertaining but also touching. This video will help remind everyone of all the small things moms do that mean so much!

Seriously, Mom by Shift Worship

My pick is “Seriously, Mom” by Shift Worship. This is a fun animated video that thanks moms for loving us and seeing us as God’s gifts to them, even if sometimes we don’t act like it!

Thanks Mom by Freshly Ground Productions

My pick is “Thanks, Mom” by Freshly Ground Productions. This video tells a simple message with quirky graphical elements. It is quick and to the point reminding us to thank our moms for all that they do!