James Lane

Faith

2011-08-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

When I was sixteen, like every young man, I wanted to have a fast car. My sights were not set on something that offered great gas milage or even something that looked good on a date. I wanted a ride with a big, loud engine. I finally found it. It was a '67 Chevy El Camino. I passed it on my way to work one day and right away I knew it had the potential to be that loud, fast, car of my dreams. After I talked my dad into going with me and helping me make a deal on it, we pulled it home on a rope. I began to put in the work I thought it would take to make this car all I knew it had the potential to be.

The next day I went to the local parts store to buy the manual. I thought if I began to learn more, I could find a way to fix it and get it back on the road. I also stopped to fill up a gas can so when I got back to the house I could get right to work. I pulled into the driveway, ran up to the car, put the gas in the tank, and began to work. A few days later I had sorted out some of the major issues and got the old car to start. I knew it did not sound right, but I thought, at least it was running. I thought it would not be long until I was on the road. Day and night I would rev the engine for a listen. Then I would cut it off and start to pull it apart to figure out how to fix it. I learned a lot about cars at this time in my life and continued to work. I spent all of my spare time under that car hoping for the day that I could pull it out of the driveway.

One day, not too long after, I was getting frustrated with not having the resources to properly fix this car. I decided to give it one last shot. I went outside, popped the hood and cranked up the engine. It ran for a while, and as it did, I used the knowledge I had about this car to tweak it to get it to run good enough to venture out of the driveway. It would almost run on it's own but then I would rev the engine and flames would shoot straight out. Finally it started to chug and gave one final cough and sputtered to it's death. I had run it out of gas. Later that summer, I worked out a way to get rid of this car and bought something that was able to get me out of the driveway and off to work. I figured out that in the time that I had the '67 I burned $20 worth of gas and it never moved more than a few inches.

God reminded me of this story, this morning, as I was praising him for the ministry that He has given us to do here in Amarillo, Tx. I thought of the frustration many Christians feel as they sit and rev the engines of their faith, knowing that God has prepared and equipped them to do a great work. Many in the church will settle for an inspirational story or a trip to the bookstore. But those who have seen the Hand of God move and seen lives change are not satisfied. Dad called this "hearing the trumpets in the morning."

At Citychurch we are faced with the choice every day. God has miraculously supplied for our needs and He has given us a clear mission. We have to be obedient to drive down Polk Street, over the railroad tracks and into the neighborhoods that He has called us to reach. The people who have joined us in this effort are those who are tired of sitting in the seats of the church and only hearing the word of God. They want to see what that Word can do when it is applied to a problem that is out of their control. They are the people who will not settle for seeing the Power of God work only in small, superficial, areas of their lives. They want to see the whole city come to a knowledge of that Power.

This summer we had over 600 of these dear brothers and sisters who put action with their faith. They woke up each morning with a call and a realistic opportunity to go and reach this city. Kids were brought from the poorest parts of our city. They were fed and witnessed to by Christians who came from as far away as Alaska. Twelve year old missionaries came to have their first experiences serving God in the mission field. Mothers and fathers brought their kids to ride on a bike route and pass out lunches. Christian people from all over our city came to The Jesus Loves You Celebration to encourage and minister to the lost.

God's people have left the driveway are on the move. They are living their faith and The Name of God is being lifted up in our city. Come and join us!

Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

50mm

2010-09-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

How to treat your next Pastor

2009-12-08T17:19:00.000-08:00

The Citychurch ministry was born out of many struggles our family and my father, Pastor Don E. Lane, went through in the years leading up to his illness and the start of our ministry in downtown Amarillo. In 1996, after almost thirty years in the ministry, as a family, we started Citychurch with a vision of ministry, unhindered by the distractions that you find in "normal" churches each week. We were led by a desire, to equip and hand over the ministry to the people who had the heart to do the ministry. The result is a ministry led by a family and volunteers who are in the community each day doing the work.

Today I found a sermon that my dad preached back in 1991 at Crestmont Baptist Church in Burleson, Tx, entitled "How to treat your next Pastor." Listening to this sermon brought back the memories of all the frustrations that we faced early in the ministry. It also made me appreciate the freedom with which we get to work here at Citychurch. But the coolest thing is, as I listened to this sermon that was preached almost twenty years ago, I saw glimpses of the Vision that God was giving us as a family.

As we work at Citychurch we draw spiritual encouragement from the work that God allows us to do in the ministry and the lives that are changed. But also, we receive great inspiration from seeing a church that has the liberty to do it's work unhindered.

Please Take the time to listen to the sermon by Don E. Lane: How to treat your next Pastor.

Storm DJ

2009-08-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

Tonight, during the storm, I played a set on the turn table for the kids and Jennifer. Check it out! (I snapped the shot above when Bob was playing.)

The Dead Weather- Rocking Horse

The Band - Jemima Surrender

SSLYBY- Heers

Bob Dylan- North Country Blues

Otis Redding- My Girl

Welcome Wagon- Up On A Mountain

David Bowie- Golden Years

The Beach Boys- Sloop John B

Little Joy- With Strangers

The Beatles- Sun King Mean Mr Mustard

Elvis- mama

Jerry Lee Lewis- Lovin Up A Storm

hiking in glorieta

2009-08-11T23:42:00.000-07:00

We took about ten of our campers up in the mountains today. This is the "trail" we took that I downloaded from GPS today. Click here to see all the stats. Pretty cool!
This site does not support embedded trip maps. View the trip here instead.

Go tell.

2009-08-10T21:04:00.000-07:00

He was sent to this earth to seek and to save

that which was lost. His life He gave.

On the cross our debt was paid.

Go tell

You are free from sin and alive in Him.

A new start, your a baby all over again.

You wish everyone could feel this clean.

Go tell

Go tell.

He is swapping your life, old parts for new.

Like clay he presses and fires you.

Each break reminds you that He's not thru.

Go tell

Go tell.

Your light is shining don't let it dim.

You are a living breathing witness for Him.

His glory shines through your life at men.

Go tell

Go tell.

Go tell, go tell, that's what you have done

not screaming or shouting or with elegant tongue

but showing what He can do with a life, undone.

Your whole world has seen it, everyone!

Go tell

Go tell.

-James Lane

lightning in slow motion

2009-05-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

Tonight I stood at the back window and filmed this storm over downtown. I thought it would be a good test for the slow motion settings on the PMW-EX1. It turned out pretty cool. The B&W clip on the front was taken earlier in the day. The soundtrack is Guster "lightning Rod". Enjoy.

lightning in slow motion from James Lane on Vimeo.

microSCRATCH

2009-05-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

I was playing around with the settings on the micro Korg and I got a pretty nice scratch sample. Not as cool as real vinyl but close.:)

microscratch from James Lane on Vimeo.

Goodbye Yurt Beard

2009-05-09T23:54:00.000-07:00

It is Mothers Day so I have a good excuse to shave the yurt beard before church. You gotta look sharp for mama: )> I started growing the Yurt beard when we finally moved out to the country last week. I can't stand it any more although Jennifer dared me to grow it longer. I am sorry for the lack of posts lately I have been in the country working or asleep growing this ridiculous beard.

For those who are still wondering what a yurt is I will save that for a soon but later post.

The Country Part 2

2009-03-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

For my birthday Jennifer gave me some poetry books. One of them was a very old printing of "Farm Ballads, Festivals & Legends" by Will Carleton. I love this book. Last night I was reading it and came across a great story about settling in the country witch is something that I have been trying to do lately. I love these old stories and just wanted to share one of them with you. Enjoy! Oh, and thanks Jennifer for the books.

The First Settlers Story
It ain't the funniest thing a man can do
Existing in a country when it's new;
Nature, who moved in first a good long while —
Has things already somewhat her own style,
And she don't want her woodland splendors battered,
Her rustic furniture broke up and scattered,
Her paintings, which long years ago were done
By that old splendid artist-king, the sun,

Torn down and dragged in civilization's gutter,
Or sold to purchase settlers' bread and butter.
She don't want things exposed from porch to closet,
And so she kind o' nags the man who does it.
She carries in her pockets bags of seeds,
As general agent of the thriftiest weeds;
She sends her blackbirds, in the early morn,
To superintend his fields of planted corn;

She gives him rain past any duck's desire —
Then maybe several weeks of quiet fire;
She sails mosquitoes leeches perched on wings —
To poison him with blood-devouring stings;
She loves her ague-muscle to display,
And shake him up—say every other day; .
With thoughtful, conscientious care she makes
Those travelin' poison-bottles, rattle-snakes;

She finds time, 'mongst her other family cares,
To keep in stock good wild-cats, wolves, and bears.
Well, when I first infested this retreat,
Things to my view looked frightful incomplete;
But I had come with heart-thrift in my song,
And brought my wife and plunder right along;
I hadn't a round trip ticket to go back,
And if I had there wasn't no railroad track;
And drivin' East was what I couldn't endure:
I hadn't started on a circular tour.

My girl-wife was as brave as she was, good,
And helped me every blessed way she could;
She seemed to take to every rough old tree,
As sing'lar as when first she took to me.
She kep' our little-log-house neat as wax,
And once I caught her fooling with my axe.
She learned a hundred masculine things to do:
She aimed a shot-gun pretty middlin' true,
Although in spite of my express desire,
She always shut her eyes before she'd fire.

She hadn't the muscle (though she had the heart)
In out-door work to take an active part;
Though in our firm of Duty and Endeavor
She wasn't no silent partner whatsoever.
When I was logging, burning, choppin' wood,
She'd linger round and help me all she could,
And keep me fresh-ambitious all the while,
And lifted tons just with her voice and smile.
With no desire my glory for to rob,
She used to stan' around and boss the job;
And when first-class success my hands befell,
Would proudly say, "We did that pretty well!"
She was delicious, both to hear and see —
That pretty wife-girl that kep' house for me.

Well, neighborhoods meant counties in those days;
The roads didn't have accommodating ways;
And maybe weeks would pass before she'd see
And much less talk with — any one but me.
The Indians sometimes showed their sun-baked faces,
But they didn't teem with conversational graces;
Some ideas from the birds and trees she stole,
But 'twasn't like talking with a human soul;
And finally I thought that I could trace
A half heart-hunger peering from her face.
Then she would drive it back and shut the door;
Of course that only made me see it more.

'Twas hard to see her give her life to mine,
Making a steady effort not to pine;
'Twas hard to hear that laugh bloom out each minute,
And recognize the seeds of sorrow in it.
Now misery makes a close observer mourn
Like hopeless grief with hopeful courage borne;
There's nothing sets the sympathies to paining
Like a complaining woman uncomplaining.
It always draws my breath out into sighs
To see a brave look in a woman's eyes.

Well, she went on, as plucky as could be,
Fighting the foe she thought I did not see,
And using her heart-horticultural powers
To turn that forest to a bed of flowers.
You cannot check an unadmitted sigh,
And so I had to soothe her on the sly,
And secretly to help her draw her load;
And soon it came to be an up-hill road.

Hard work bears hard upon the average pulse,
Even with satisfactory results;
But when effects are scarce, the heavy strain
Falls dead and solid on the heart and brain.
And when we're bothered, it will oft occur
We seek blame-timber; and I lit on her;
And looked at her with daily lessening favor,
For what I knew she couldn't help, to save her.
And Discord, when he once had called and seen us,
Came round quite often, and edged in between us.

One night, when I came home unusual late,
Too hungry and too tired to feel firstrate,
Her supper struck me wrong (though I'll allow
She hadn't much to strike with, any' how);
And when I went to milk the cows, and found
They'd wandered from their usual feed ing ground,
And, maybe'd left a few long miles be hind 'em,
Which I must copy, if I meant to find 'em,
Flash-quick the stay-chains of my temper broke,
And in a trice these hot words I had spoke:
"You ought to've kept the animals in view,
And drove 'em in; you'd nothing else to do.
The heft of all our life on me must fall;
You just lie round and let me do it all."

That speech — it hadn't been gone a half a minute
Before I saw the cold black poison in it;
And I'd have given all I had, and more,
To've only safely got it back in-door.
I'm now what most folks "well-to-do" would call:
I feel to-day as if I'd give it all,
Provided I through fifty years might reach
And kill and bury that half-minute speech.

She handed back no words, as I could hear;
She didn't frown; she didn't shed a tear;
Half proud, half crushed, she stood and looked me o'er,
Like some one she had never seen before!
But such a sudden anguish-lit surprise
I never viewed before in human eyes.
(I've seen it oft enough since in a dream;
It sometimes wakes me like a midnight scream.)

Next morning, when, stone-faced, but heavy-hearted,
With dinner pail and sharpened axe I started
Away for my day's work — she watched the door,
And followed me half way to it or more;
And I was just a-turning round at this,
And asking for my usual good-by kiss;
But on her lip I saw a proudish curve,
And in her eye a shadow of reserve;

And she had shown perhaps half un-awares
Some little independent breakfast airs;
And so the usual parting didn't occur,
Although her eyes invited me to her;
Or rather half invited me, for she
Didn't advertise to furnish kisses free;
You always had — that is, I had-to pay
Full market price, and go more'n half the way.

So, with a short "Good-by," I shut the door,
And left her as I never had before.
But when at noon my lunch I came to eat,
Put up by her so delicately neat
Choicer, somewhat, than yesterday's had been,
And some fresh, sweet-eyed pansies she'd put in —
"Tender and pleasant thoughts," I knew they meant
It seemed as if her kiss with me she'd sent;
Then I became once more her humble lover,
And said, "To-night I'll ask forgiveness of her."

I went home over-early on that eve,
Having contrived to make myself believe,
By various signs I kind o' knew and
guessed, A thunder-storm was coming from the west.
('Tis strange, when one sly reason fills the heart,
How many honest ones will take its part:
A dozen first-class reasons said twas right
That I should strike home early on that night.)

Half out of breath, the cabin door I swung,
With tender heart-words trembling on my tongue;
But all within looked desolate and bare:
My house had lost its soul, — she was not there!
A penciled note was on the table spread,
And these are something like the words it said;
"The cows have strayed away again, I fear;
I watched them pretty close; don't scold me, dear.
And where they are, I think I nearly know:
I heard the bell not very long ago. . . .
I've hunted for them all the afternoon;
I'll try once more — I think I'll find them soon.
Dear, if a burden I have been to you,
And haven't helped you as I ought to do,
Let old-time memories my forgiveness plead;
I've tried to do my best I have indeed.
Darling, piece out with love the strength I lack,
And have kind words for me when I get back."

Scares did I give this letter sight and tongue —
Some swift-blown rain-drops to the window clung,
And from the clouds a rough, deep growl proceeded:
My thunder-storm had come, now 'twasn't needed.
I rushed out-door. The air was stained with black:
Night had come early, on the storm-cloud's back:
And everything kept dimming to the sight,
Save when the clouds threw their electric light;
When for a flash, so clean-cut was the view,
I'd think I saw her knowing 'twas not true.
Through my small clearing dashed wide sheets of spray,
As if the ocean waves had lost their Way;
Scarcely a pause the thunder-battle made,
In the bold clamor of its cannonade.
And she, while I was sheltered, dry, and warm,
Was somewhere in the clutches of this storm!
She who, when storm-frights found her at her best,
Had always hid her white face on my breast!

My dog, who'd skirmished round me all the day,
Now crouched and whimpering, in a corner lay;
I dragged him by the collar to the wall
I pressed his quivering muzzle to a shaw!—
"Track her, old boy!" I shouted; and he whined,
Matched eyes with me, as if to read my Mind,
Then with a yell went tearing through the wood,
I followed him, as faithful as I could.
No pleasure-trip was that through flood and flame;
We raced with death: we hunted noble game.
All night we dragged the woods without avail;
The ground got drenched—we could not keep the trail.
Three times again my cabin home I found,
Half hoping she might be there, safe and sound;
But each time 'twas an unavailing care:
My house had lost its soul; she was not there!

When, climbing the wet trees, next morning-sun
Laughed at the ruin that the night had done,
Bleeding and drenched, by toil and sorrow bent,
Back to what used to be my home I went.
But as I neared our little clearing-ground
Listen! — I heard the cow-bell's tinkling sound.
The cabin door was just a bit ajar;
It gleamed upon my glad eyes like astar.
"Brave heart," I said, "for such a fragile form!
She made them guide her homeward through the storm!"
Such pangs of joy I never felt before.
"You've come!" I shouted and rushed through the door.

Yes, she had come — and gone again. She lay
With all her young life crushed and wrenched away —
Lay, the heart-ruins of our home among,
Not far from where I killed her with my tongue.
The rain-drops glittered 'mid her hair's long strands,
The forest thorns had torn her feet and hands,
And 'midst the tears — brave tears —that one could trace
Upon the pale but sweetly resolute face,
I once again the mournful words could read,
"I have tried to do my best I have, indeed."

And now I'm mostly done; my story's o'er;
Part of it never breathed the air before.
"Tisn't over-usual, it must be allowed,
To volunteer heart-history to a crowd,
And scatter 'mongst them confidential tears,
But you'll protect an old man with his years;
And wheresoe'er this story's voice can reach,
This is the sermon I would have it preach:

Boys flying kites haul in their white-winged birds:
You can't do that way when you're flying words.
"Careful with fire," is good advice we know:
"Careful with words," is ten times doubly so.
Thoughts unexpressed may sometimes fall back dead,
But God himself can't kill them when they're said!
You have my life-grief: do not think a minute
'Twas told to take up time. There's business in it.
It sheds advice: whoe'er will take and live it,
Is welcome to the pain it cost to give it.

-Will M. Carleton

The Country Part 1

2009-02-24T09:40:00.000-08:00

Soon, I will be moving my family to the country. For the last year we have been working a piece of land about 15 min out of town. I want to keep what we are going to live in as a secret for another blog but you can see some of our progress in the pictures and video below. I will also keep you posted as we get closer to moving out there.

View from my future front porch.

I was out in the country working and I watched this beautiful sunset form. I knew it was coming so I let the camera role and it did not disappoint. I left the audio on the front so you could see how quiet it is out there. The music is Bon Iver, it was playing in my headphones during the end of the day, so I went with it. Enjoy!

Opened Ground

2009-02-18T20:56:00.000-08:00

I have been reading Opened Ground, a book of selected poems by Nobel Prize winning author, Seamus Heaney. Heaney's words are perfectly balanced and strong. I have just been picking through it lately, but I had to share this after I read it.

Lightenings ii

Roof it again. Batten down. Dig in.
Drink out of tin. Know the scullery cold,
A latch, a door-bar, forged tongs and a grate.

Touch the crossbeam, drive iron in a wall,
Hang a line to verify the plumb
From lintel, coping stone and chimney-breast.

Relocate the bedrock in the threshold.
Take squarings from the recessed gable pane.
Make your study the unregarded floor.

Sink every impulse like a bolt. Secure
The bastion of sensation. Do not waver
Into language. Do not waver in it.

-Seamus Heaney

Citychurch News Artwork

2009-02-17T14:58:00.000-08:00

I usually don't upload graphics that i am working on but I thought this one was interesting. You may know we have been using a new camera for video and the resolution is so high on some of the footage that we have been able to pull still images off of the video with great success. I have done this in the past with other footage but it never was quality enough for print or web. The quality was high enough on this still to even use a filter and put some Photoshop™ magic on it.

http://donnielane.wordpress.com/

2009-02-16T22:55:00.000-08:00

I just got this link from my brother Donnie. It is his blog on wordpress. Check it out! You will be pleased.

impromptu flow contest

2009-02-03T17:05:00.000-08:00

impromptu flow contest from James Lane on Vimeo.
A battle broke out when I was picking up kids today for the after school ministry. This kid won the flow contest, mainly because I was the judge and he was the only one that kept it clean. Somewhat?

Happy B-Day Mac!

2009-01-23T15:33:00.000-08:00

My old 128K... Looks over me as i work in the studio

If you know me you know I am a huge Apple Computer fan. I have been using the Macs all my life starting back in the Mac 128K days. I have had an LC II, LCIII, Proforma, several Power Macs, G3, G4, G5, Mac Pro... I have literally grown up using mac computers. Now I make my living with them. They are amazing machines that inspire the user to create.

I wanted to share one of my favorite mac sites with you www.folklore.org . There you can find out everything on the history of Mac. Even if you don't care about apple or mac, check it out. You will be pleased.

Dirk vs Power Ranger Dance Off...

2009-01-11T22:46:00.000-08:00

This is for Andrew. :)

Night Light

2009-01-06T20:35:00.000-08:00

I was out testing some low light settings on the PMW-EX1 and thought I would share the results. Stick around to see the moon shot at the end it was shot in real time (pretty cool). The music is a mix of two cuts I was playing with on the turntables earlier today.

Dirk/ idog dance off

2008-12-25T16:37:00.000-08:00

Having a little fun at the airstream on Christmas morning.

- Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

Christmas Sunset

2008-12-16T22:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas Sunset from James Lane on Vimeo.
I am working with the PMW-EX1, on some time laps stuff for the Christmas show. This is one of the shots that came out pretty cool. I stuck some coldplay in so it would have audio. I wont leave the coldplay in for the show:)

Take your time... Olafur Eliasson

2008-12-10T19:21:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of seeing this exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art. I have been to several installations and exhibits but this one was one of the greatest I have ever experienced. If you live at all close to the DMA you should go see this exhibit. I will link an online version from the MOMA here. Enjoy!

Payday Someday R.G. Lee

2008-12-09T20:02:00.000-08:00

Check this sermon out and take the time to listen to the whole thing. I remember my Dad reading this sermon to us when we were kids but I did not know how truly great it was until I recently heard it again on YouTube.

Merry Christmas Take 2

2008-12-04T14:46:00.000-08:00

Marking audio on the christmas set. Getting ready to shoot a promo.

artist inspiration

2008-11-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

Tonight I watched an interview with Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno, about Gordon's latest work, "Zidane, un portrait du 21e siècle." In short it is a film about football star Zinedine Zidane. Gordon and Parreno Shot an entire soccer match with 17 cameras trained on Zidane for the entire 90min.

It was interesting to see where the artists got there inspiration for the film and the process of making this portrait.

When asked for a storyboard Gordon said that they just took the crew to Museo Del Prado in Madrid to view portraits by Velasquez and Goya. Gordon Said he would ask the crew "how many frames would it take to shoot this portrait."
On the film side of things the artists were influenced by many art films and documentary films Including screen tests by Andy Warhol.

One of the most interesting things that the artists had to deal with was what to do during half time. Since the film was shot in real time the artists had to be creative to fill in the gap.

I just thought it was cool to see how a great artist gets from point a to point b. It was also great to see the portrait adapted to a modern media. It will be interesting to see if it will inspire in 200 years like Velasquez and Goya.

Sorry if this post bored you to tears.:)

one minute west texas sunset

2008-11-16T22:27:00.000-08:00

Today I took the new Sony pmw-ex1 to the country. The soundtrack is "Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin" You can go here to see it in full HD

It's Here!

2008-11-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

If you have been following me on twitter than you know I just recently ordered the Sony PMW-EX1. Today it came! So after the battery charges I will go out and get some test footage in 1080p so we can see what this baby can do.

Coming To Jesus

2008-11-11T14:32:00.000-08:00

I think about how we come to Jesus, recognizing our sinful condition, seeking God's rescue from it. We have lived according to our most basic instincts and are tired of our lives being out of control. We have consumed our fill of the world's rational, wile our hunger for lasting wisdom, is so thick in the pit of our stomach, that we can no longer stand to be without it. We are in need of mercy. Our physical environment has left marks on us that need a divine and permanent eraser. We just want to feel clean. We no longer want to be objects of wrath and long to be at peace with our Creator. We want to be righteous no matter what it costs. Friends, family, reputation, even our physical well being are no longer as important as our relationship with God.

Imagine walking, with all of these thoughts going through your head. You hear the faint sound of Jesus in the distance, you hear Him begin to teach:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:3-12 (ESV)

Jesus The Bread of Life

2008-11-06T13:28:00.000-08:00

This is one of those scriptures that convicted me as soon as I read it. I read it when I was with the youth last week and immediately thought of the young people that we are working with. We are constantly dealing with a certain group of youth that come to Citychurch who are not interested in the spiritual aspect of God, but only what we can do for them as an agency. As usual it is easer to pin a convicting verse on someone other than myself. After reading this verse several more times I realized that it had tremendous application in the the way I, like many Christians, treat the works of God in my day to day life.

In this verse we find a group of followers tracking down Jesus the day after He had fed the multitude. Jesus pointed out that they were not seeking Him for spiritual reasons but the physical hunger that He had relieved the day before had returned. When I read this part of the verse I can hear Jesus' frustration. Just one day earlier he had taken a very small amount of food and miraculously provided a meal for the large crowd. He was also preforming, miracle after miracle, and all that this group was focused on was the food that He had provided the day before. I feel like Jesus is saying to us “look you just don't get it.” Each day we see Gods direction; we see His provision. Each day he shows me something miraculous and I choose to stop at the the physical aspect of the act. As Christians He has given us The Gospel Of Jesus Christ and pointed to it in Romans as “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” But as soon as we accept that gift we as Christians tend to shelve what The Gospel can do for us beyond our initial salvation and start looking deeper into scripture for something with “more meat.”

At Citychurch we see God's provision for our daily physical welfare. We can easily make lists of these acts and focus on the physical aspect of the miracle, looking again the next day for His provisions. We can see His Gospel work in the life of a child or young person and focus only on the changes in his or her lifestyle. But when I read the end of this verse I realize that focusing on those things causes our vision, of the work that Jesus is doing, to be blurred.

The physical act, that might or might not take place, is a side effect of what we should seek to know about God. Instead of trying to figure out how to manifest more provision we should seek out the Provider. We should not marvel at what we can hold in our hands, but in the fact that we can know the ONE who it all belongs to. Like those who finally received the message that day, I say "Sir, give us this bread always."

SSLYBY and Dr. Dog

2008-10-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

I found these cool videos of two of my favorite bands "Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin" and "Dr. Dog". Enjoy!

ministry in the philippines part 2

2008-10-14T14:14:00.000-07:00

If you only get a chance to watch one of these episodes on The Philippines watch this one.

a short video on our mission trip to the philippines

2008-10-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

This is some of the footage I shot in Davao City on my recent mission trip. It was put together in a piece that aired after a two part special on our trip. Since I did not post the whole T.V. special I put in some subtitles so that you can follow what is going on. The music is by my friend Jay Taylor for more info on his music check out: myspace.com/jaytaylormusic

ministry in the philippines part 1

2008-10-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

I recently got back for The Philippines. This is one of two shows I produced and shot. It will give you a good idea of what we did wile we were away. ENJOY!

10-5-08 Citychurch "For The Heart Of The City" from incity Studio on Vimeo.

encouraging letter from viewer

2008-09-10T18:45:00.000-07:00

Recently I produced an episode of our weekly show Citychurch "For The Heart Of The City". The show was about taking our youth to Glorieta, NM. Since the show aired we have had a lot of response and today we received a sweet letter from one of our viewers. This type of response is a great encouragement to us at Citychurch and it is humbling that God is allowing me to use my gifts to touch people who watch the show each week. I have posted the letter below along with the episode.
8-24-08 Citychurch For The Heart Of The City from incity Studio on Vimeo.

I've Been Tagged

2008-08-26T21:39:00.000-07:00

Casey at caseycease.blogspot.com tagged me so here it goes.

The tagging rules:
1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post
4. If you're tagged, DO IT and pass on the tag

1. I have never had an alcoholic beverage of any kind. The earliest reason for my abstinence was that my parents told me that beer was horse pee:). It kind of made since, with all the horses and flowing rivers in the commercials. Later in life I learned the truth about beer. I continued not to drink in my adult life for better reasons.

2. At one time I weighed 346 lbs. I have always been a big guy but after I got out of college I gained a lot of weight. When my son was born I decided I did not want to set a bad example so I went on what feels like a life long diet. I lost about 70 lbs started riding a bicycle and got in shape. I still struggle with eating right I guess I always will but I will NEVER weigh 346 agian.

3. I am color blind. This can sometimes be hard because about 50% of my job is graphic design. I have learned to use color profiles and people are usually happy to help if I ask. What I am wearing rarely matches.

4. I am a collector of hobbies. I think it bugs jennifer sometimes because if I get into something I really get into it. I usually think of something I want to do, then I will try it, The next thing you know I am walking around a pro shop like a crack addict trying to find a way to get better at it. I can't just say "oh thats cool" I have to try it.

5. My biggest dream right now is to ride my bicycle down the Baha Peninsula in Mexico. I have been on several long rides including a 4 day ride from Amarillo to Dallas (318 miles) but I have dreamed of disapearing for about 3 weeks and just riding and camping roadside. I will do this.

6. I have never had the hick ups.

So there it is my 6 things. Thanks Casey for the tag. Hopefully someday I can return the favor:).

I am not going to tag anyone just to break the rules.

Post it

2008-08-23T22:46:00.000-07:00

Post it is kind of my system. I don't keep a detailed calender or spend a lot of time syncing my contacts. I do however write a whole lot of post it notes. They are not real clear in this format but if you are nosy maybe you can pull a few juicy tid bits from this weeks worth of post its, from my desk. Oh, and please don't call any of the phone numbers.:)

thriller at the airstream

2008-08-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

thriller at the airstream from James Lane on Vimeo.
Last night we went out to the airstream to camp out with the kids. We listened to some records and when we put the thriller album on andrew came up with some interesting dances. He calls it the "robot dog." Enjoy...

Kids in the ministry

2008-08-13T18:21:00.000-07:00

This week I am at our student leadership retreat in Glorieta NM. This year my family got to come with me. It has been so great having them here.

Growing up in the ministry I remember several instances where I had to, loan my parents out to a group of students or singles, or watch my dad go to lead a camp or revival. I did not realize it at the time but I was very much in the ministry. It is so great to have my family and kids sacrifice and serve along with me in the ministry. Hopefully I can inspire them them to serve like my parents inspired me and God will call them to future mission fields.

Today we took the students to Santa Fe to the Plaza downtown. I bought andrew a robot. Below is a video of what he did the rest of the time we were there. I think God for everyday for my kids. They are such an encouragement to me in the ministry.

andrew and the killer robot from James Lane on Vimeo.

road trip

2008-08-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

road trip from James Lane on Vimeo.
Yesterday we drove the youth to Glorieta, NM. I shot some video of the changing landscapes that we passed on our way from Amarillo. Some of the shots are a little shaky because I was shooting and driving.:p I thought the edit looked good though. The soundtrack is "the breeze" by Dr. Dog. I love the new Dr. Dog album "Fate". You MUST go and buy it.

the airstream

2008-08-07T22:08:00.000-07:00

Airstream from James Lane on Vimeo.

Recently Jennifer and I bought a 1971 Airstram Tradewind. We are in the process of building a house in the country. We decided to get the Airstream to give us a place to get away out in the country until the house is built. I did a little bit of work on it but suppressing a lot of stuff on it worked. The kids call it the club house. I shot this video the other night when we were out there chilling. Some of the people on twitter asked for a look on the inside, so I shot a little bit of that.

replacing my macbook

2008-07-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

Today I ordered a new Macbook Pro to replace my Macbook I use for web and studio stuff. I didn't need a new computer, in fact I just bought this one. But in September I am taking a mission trip to The Philippines and one of the things I am doing there is giving my Macbook away. The people that are missionaries there have a television station and about a month ago they came to Amarillo looking for Citychurch. YES, They came from The Philippines to Amarillo, TX looking for Citychurch. They had seen our show there in The Philippines on the GLC Network and have started to develop their ministry using some of the same methods of feeding and ministering in the villages. It was very humbling to hear how they watched our T.V. show, on feeding, and then went in to the villages, with carts full of rice bowls, to feed children.

When they came a month ago I gave them a dv camera from the studio. When they got back to the Philippines they started to shoot and broadcast their show with the camera. The broadcast rules there are very lax. From what I gathered anyone that can transmit can broadcast. They have a transmitter therefore they broadcast.:)

They have invited us to come in September to help them develop there television studio to be more effective in reaching the people watching. I'm taking the computer and some other equipment to help them get started. That is what I love about the ministry at Citychurch, nothing is off limits. We can give everything away, including our computers if we have to, so we can reach more people with The Gospel and God is faithful to give it right back.

I will continue to update on the upcoming mission trip to The Philippines.

"help" in the studio

2008-07-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

"help" in the studio from James Lane on Vimeo.

The summer is flying buy at the studio. Staying busy editing, and producing the show each week has caused a pile up in the studio. I looked across my desk the other day and there was a stack of tapes and avalanching on my keyboard. I was getting to the point were I was having to shove whole stacks of remotes, cases, water bottles, and everything else aside just to work. So Yesterday Andrew and I cleaned... well mostly I cleaned wile Andrew played with everything in the office that he could get his hands on. (see video above) But now it is clean and ready for the rest of the summer production. Below are some pics of the mess.

The video server is not a good place for drinks.

Last weeks tapes

Cameras charging

ALL CLEAN!

back from Houston

2008-07-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

back from Houston from James Lane on Vimeo.

We are back from Houston. Jennifer shot this video in the car on our way back under my direction.:) Exciting!! We did have fun though, just chilling out and not thinking about editing video or computers or ballets (see finished with editing for now vlog). Below is a list of thank yous for the trip:

Thanks to:
1. M&Ms well the red,green,yellow,and brown ones.I always thought the blue ones were posers.

2. All law enforcement for not pulling me over.

3. the VW Passat 32MPG!

4. A store in madison that finally had the good sunflower seeds.

5. Jennifer for letting me stop at about 15 stores to look for the good sunflower seeds.

6. Starbucks and all mater of caffeine drinks.

7. My blackberry 8820 for keeping me updated on all the twitter heads and my emails.

8. GPS! The greatest invention since the internet.

9. Jennifer's ipod

10. God. For the safe trip.

at the beach

2008-07-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

at the beach from James Lane on Vimeo.

Today we went to the beach down in galveston. Here are some random shots I put together. I like the end the best. Andrew found out what happens if you feed the birds.:) All of the audio sounded the same so I decided to use music that is NOT the norm for me. I almost always would rather have the original audio on the video. But I think the music turned out cool.

2008-06-26T02:11:00.000-07:00

finished with the editing... for now. from James Lane on Vimeo.

I have been editing these ballets for a month. They were all shot with two cameras and were all over an hour. I shot and edited 6 of these. You know how it is, video editors have to do what it takes to keep the ca$h flowing. These were not the most fun projects but they paid well and that can be fun. Shout out to Jennifer for selling the dvds and going to the post office.:)