Worship and the Art of Healing

I'm having one of those days where I am not only distracted by the abundance of websites at my fingertips, but distracted by the thoughts in my mind and the music playing in iTunes. I can't help but think about the future, the possibilities of the things to come, the promise of renewed hope, and the healing power of God's grace. On top of all of those thoughts, I am thinking about how my attitude towards worship music is daily changing from a selfish "how could anyone like this garbage" to a God-honoring view of "if it pleases the Lord, how can I not sing?"

When I first became a Christian, I thought Christian music was amazing and refreshing. My formative years were spent listening to a lot of hard rock, heavy metal, eventually getting into death metal and some really dark music. So, it was quite a leap to go into the synthesizer/acoustic guitar sappy sounds of Christianity, but there was something audibly refreshing. I found that I related to the messages of the songs in my heart a lot more than the other music. But over the years, my heart hardened to Christian music, specifically the songs that were sung every weekend in church. The week after week pounding of songs by Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, and the local flavors just got too much and I really got apathetic and cynical, shunning a lot of artists that write the majority of worship songs.

But it's amazing what God can do with time, my love for music, and His desire for His creation to worship Him. And it all started with a Worship in the Pacific Northwest conference, a local worship leader named Mike Hohnholz (www.mikehohnholz.com), my friend Tony Johnson, and a growing church in Camas, WA, Grace Foursquare (www.gracefoursquare.org).

I have been a musician for most of my life, so I really admire musicians that not only write their own music, but also their own lyrics. So, I was really surprised when I entered the church scene and started looking at the copyrights of songs and saw that a lot of the songs were not written by the people playing the songs, but they were covering these songs. I first experienced cover songs on Metallica's Garage Days Revisited, where they cover a lot of New Wave of British Heavy Metal songs, so cover songs to me were more about a fun escape from the seriousness of the creative process. So, is the church a cover song culture? Something that is a fun escape from the seriousness of worshiping God with the gifts that He has placed within the heart of a worship leader? Is there any difference between a worship leader and a worship songwriter? Should there be a difference?

Well, when I heard Mike Hohnholz's music and his heart, I was amazed that there was a local worship leader that could not only lead worship, but also write music from his heart that reflected his love for Christ and the passion within his heart for others to worship with him. So, I visited the church he was leading worship for, and immediately found a place that valued the use of the unique gifts that God had given the people in the church. Thus, a chain-reaction was started that would bring me to the place where I am at today.

Upon leaving my position at a local megachurch in November of 2005, my wife and I visited several churches before deciding that we wanted to call Grace Foursquare our home church. During that time of visiting other churches, Mike Hohnholz moved out to Beaverton Foursquare to lead worship there and a new worship pastor named Loren Craft came to Grace, along with Joshua Son. And again, God astonished me with the talent and passion for worshiping the Lord that He placed in their hearts. But nothing would change me more than finally getting the opportunity to be a part of the worship team, filling in on bass when no one else could be found.

The first time playing bass on stage at this new place was interesting, mainly due to the song choices. Two of my least favorite songs were picked, and after playing them several times during the week in practice and rehearsal, it was in the last service of the weekend that I really sensed God telling me, "Chris, I don't care if you don't like these songs, I like them, it's not about you." And with that, my heart began to change towards worshiping the Lord.

Playing bass several times now, I have had the opportunity to see a unique perspective that not many get to see and that is of the multitude worshiping the Lord. Sometimes the eyes of the people are upon you and you can't help but examine your heart to make sure that you are truly worshiping, and not just going through the motions.

It continues to be a process and it will always be, but it helps to have truly passionate people around you who could get the rocks and every inanimate object to sing out loud.

Thanks Tony, Loren, Josh and Mike.

Paralytic

I had the opportunity to do the cinematography for my friend's fan-made music video for the song "Paralytic." Check it out today!

Over 25 New Items Added to ChrisMartinStudios.com

Hey, I finally got around to adding the latest work completed by Chris Martin Studios to the "Our Work" section of www.ChrisMartinStudios.com. I have even added several video productions, including the latest videos for First Class Homeschool Ministries. Check out all the hard work today!

Looking for a Great Mechanic and Tire Shop?

I have had the joy and privilege (sarcasm) of getting some repairs done on my 1992 Dodge Shadow. The shocks and struts were shot, I needed four new tires, and I have an oil leak of unknown origin. For the shocks and struts and the diagnosing of the oil leak, I took the car to Just Right Auto, 13106 NE Fourth Plain in Vancouver, 360-260-2260 and they did a fantastic job. Dropped the car off Thursday morning, and got it back Friday morning. The shocks and struts are replaced, and they put a dye kit in the oil to trace where the leak is. Great service, fast, and they appreciate their customers!

To further my experience today, I took the car to Richey's Tire Factory on Mill Plain, right off the 205 by Wal-Mart. I told them I wanted four new tires, they helped me to get the ones that were in my price range, and then put them on. I was out of there in about 15-20 minutes. Great service, they love what they do, and they have HD TV with Comcast in the waiting area. How cool is that!!!

I highly recommend both places!

Speeding Towards the New Year!

With my 28th birthday and Christmas behind me, I have a new stack of DVDs to enjoy this week! My brother-in-law and sister-in-law got me the Limited Edition 2-Disc version of "V for Vendetta," which comes complete with the graphic novel that the movie was based on, pretty cool! My wife's parents surprised me with "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and the special edition of "Batman Begins," my mom got me U2's "Zoo TV" concert, and I have greatly enjoyed that DVD, very innovative, creative and, perhaps, crazy. In the vein of music, my wife got me the Metallica Videos DVD, awesome! With the rest of the money I got for my birthday, I bought Dream Theater's "Score" DVD, Coldplay's "Live 2003" and U2's "U218 Videos." I am a music buff and thoroughly enjoy all of those DVDs! Not to mention the Greatest Hits Jimi Hendrix CD and the book "U2byU2!!!"

It was a great Christmas, and now I prepare myself for the end of the business year! Here is to year one of Chris Martin Studios!

Birthday Approaching

On Friday, I will be celebrating my 28th birthday, which means several things, mainly that I am getting really close to being 30, my high school reunion is this summer, and the past seems further away than it did even a year ago. In an email to a friend this morning, I mentioned that it felt like I have lived two, maybe even three, lifetimes in the past ten years. So, here are some of my highlights of my life in the past ten years:

• Graduated high school.
• Attended the University of Washington for 2 and a half years.
• Dropped out of college to be in a rock band playing bass.
• Had the opportunity to go to Israel and Jordan for two weeks, seeing everything from Jerusalem, Petra, the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, and Tel-Aviv.
• Became a Christian after 14 years of walking away from God.
• Went to art school and eventually graduated with a bachelor's degree in Media Arts and Animation.
• Interned in a video department being able to work alongside a good friend.
• Ran a video/design department for a couple of years before burning out.
• Got to hear and meet some amazing songwriters, speakers, pastors and artists in my time running the video/design department.
• Traveled to Mexico and videotaped a mission trip for one week.
  
• Got married in 2004.
  
• Started my own design/photography/video business.

Well, it may not seem like much when reading that list, but it has been a life-changing journey for me, and it continues going in a direction that I never imagined.

As I write this, I am remembering what I wrote in the senior edition of the school paper ten years ago about what I would be doing today: "I will be making $80,000 a year working at Microsoft and playing racquetball with Bill Gates." While I didn't even come close to either of those things, I am truly grateful that my life is far richer and deeper than I ever imagined it would be.

Have a Merry Christmas!

A Hodge Podge of Information

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since my last post, and a lot of strange and wonderful things have occurred. But the first thing on my mind is the latest "American Photo" magazine, which showed up a couple days ago in the mail. It has to be the best photography magazine, just for the sheer quality of the photographers that are showcased. This month's issue is on the Images of the Year, and there are some amazing images. My favorite image is from the Wonderbra advertisement, shot by Vincent Dixon. You never see the Wonderbra, but you see everyone's reaction in the restaurant, stunning, well lit, and very funny.

I recently bought Quickbooks Pro for my business, Chris Martin Studios Inc., and now get to go through the laborious task of setting it up! I'm sure there is someone that I could pay to do that, but after 9 months of receipts and invoices, it's probably better if I do it. I'm excited though, there are some neat features that I will definitely use, especially the time sheets. No more Excel, and no more math calculations by hand! Oh, how exciting life can truly be!

The other night, my friend Rod showed me "G3- Live in Denver," starring Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Yngwie Malmsteen. Very good performances on all three parts, and what cracked me up the most was how Malmsteen would shred a little, throw the guitar around his neck, and then continue shredding. Seamlessly! Amazing, well worth the cost of buying the DVD.

Today, I received "The DVX Book," Magic Bullet Editors, and InstantHD in the mail, as part of the rebate for my Panasonic DVX100B. So far, I have only read part of "The DVX Book," but already it has helped me in how I use the DVX. While the camera is not an HD camera, it's a great camera!

Wow, should I keep going? I think I shall.

I am planning on 7 one-minute short films using the DVX and the lav mics that I bought for it. I'm not really going to do anything traditional in the sense, I just want to have fun, so stay tuned to ChrisMartin.com, because I will post the videos there.

Here, here to Lloyd's Grill in Battle Ground, WA. A very great place to eat lunch!

Well, that's about it for now. I hope you enjoy the latest from my mind.

Casino Royale

Our third movie to see in theaters this week was the new James Bond flick, "Casino Royale." This was a pretty decent film, it was a little long, and there were some really stagnant parts, but all in all, this was the best Bond film in a good while.

The Office: Reprise

Well, after enjoying the last four episodes of The Office, I am officially letting you all know that it is a great season. I am rather enjoying the new characters now, and just needed time to adjust to the change.

Would Could Be Stranger Than Fiction? The Fountain?

On Sunday, I received a gift certificate to Cinetopia from our church, a thank you gift for doing a lot of work on their 40 Days of Community campaign. So, after church, my wife and I watched Will Ferrell in "Stranger Than Fiction," an interesting film about a character whose life is narrated by a woman, with a better vocabulary than his own. I rather enjoyed that film, but I also enjoyed the experience of watching it in HD in Cinetopia's Living Room theater. Leather ottomans to put your feet up, servers to take your order and bring you the food and drinks, totally awesome!!

Today, we went and saw "The Fountain," a sci-fi movie starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. What an interesting, unique, beautiful, strange film that defies description. We were so captivated, that we sat through the ending credits, enchanted by the beautiful piano score that ended the film. I will definitely be seeing the film, because it was very, very different. And that is a good thing!

The rest of the week is devoted to food, family, friends, and some great movies that we rented.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Photoshop for Photographers

About a month ago, I received a brochure for a "Photoshop for Photographers" seminar that was coming to the Portland Convention Center. I looked it over, and signed up thinking that it wouldn't hurt to go learn about the software that I use on a consistent and daily basis.

Yesterday was the day, and it was a great seminar! It started with a look at Digital Photography workflow. Being new to digital photography, it was great to learn how Photoshop's Camera Raw plug-in actually works, and how to get great looking files right out of the gate. From there, the speaker covered tonal detail using Curves, color correction, image retouching and vanishing point. All in all, it was an excellent seminar, well worth the $99 admission price. Check out Ben Willmore's site, Digital Mastery, where you can read free articles, buy his books and DVDs and learn more about Photoshop.

We Interrupt This Broadcast

The unfortunate thing about living in Southwest Washington is that we share broadcasting with Portland. This means that quality television shows, such as House M.D., are interrupted at critical and crucial plot points to tell us who won the Oregon governor race.

A New Toy!

Well, I finally bought a nice mini-DV video camera, a Panasonic DVX100B, and I must say that it is AWESOME! I used today on a shoot, and it really does a great job! It was much better than I expected.

Now to learn how to use it!

Morning Fog

I'm not a fan of getting up early, especially on a Saturday for that matter. But the other day, a good friend asked if I wanted to get up early today and catch the sunrise by the I-5 bridge on the Columbia River, and I agreed to do it, because it sounded like a great idea.

This morning, I crawled out of bed at 5:30, prepped my photo gear (tripod and D70s) and picked up my friend. We hung out at Starbucks for a while, then drove down to the pier by Joe's Crab Shack. Encased in fog and darkness, we began to take pictures of the I-5 bridge. A surreal moment, and truly enjoyable. It was quite the adventure, and I am grateful for going.

For the first time since buying my camera, I was able to take some long exposures, and I really enjoy the colors that are the result.

It's Been A Long Time...

Well, it's been a long time since my last post, and here is what happened:
- My wife and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary.
- We received our new car, a 2001 Ford Taurus, with enough money to pay the excise tax.
- I bought the legend of Johnny Cash on CD.
- Watched House Season 1 and 4 discs of Season 2.
- The Office Season started, and disappointed every step of the way.
- The Lost Season started, and satisfied every step of the way.
- My business, Chris Martin Studios, continues to grow, I continue finishing projects, and more projects are coming in.
- My wife and I went to Powell's Books, Portland Music and Art Media yesterday.

And so are the days of our lives...

A Fitting Tribute

In a fitting tribute to my dying car and my love for hating spiders, my new blog header features this wonderfully gross picture of a spider that I took on my walk on the Heritage Trail the other night.

I'm challenging myself to take at least one picture each day this week. It has been an interesting and fun challenge for me.

Good Samaritan

My wife and I went on a walk this evening on the Heritage Trail in Camas, WA. The parking lot has several warnings that this is a high crime area and that you should lock your car and take your valuables with you. We never really thought much of that because we have two junker cars, but as we pulled into the parking lot tonight, there was a nice four runner with a smashed window. Well, I guess this is a high crime area. Ironically, a developer is building brand new condos right down the street from this parking lot, and there is also a private golf course.

As we began walking, expressing how much smashed windows suck to the people around the four runner, we didn't really think about it after that. As we finish our walk and get to our car, I load my camera bag into the backseat, open the front door, sit down, stick the key in the ignition, turn and listen to the sound of nothing. The lights are on, but no one is home in the engine. Man, I have to find someone to jump the car. Thankfully there is a young man sitting in his Volvo and I ask if I could get my car jumped. I realized my jumper cables weren't in the car and said that he would go home to get his cables. He said that he just lived down the street and that he would be right back. To our surprise, the young man returned with his dad and a pair of jumper cables. How awesome and amazing. The car fired up, I thanked the dad, and I got my wife and I home. Me being the curious type, I turned off the car and turned the ignition. Nothing.

Thank God for the miracle of receiving a 2001 Ford Taurus from a relative, because it will relieve our junker complex for vehicles.

Switchbacks and Suffering

Yesterday, I decided to go for a hike out in the Columbia River Gorge. It has been just about two years since I went on this particular hike, and as I have unfortunately let myself go in the physical department over the past three years, it was extremely difficult.

As I started out for Upper Wahkeena Falls, my heart began to pound and my legs hurt, reminding me of two things: 1) I really miss hiking and being out in nature and 2) Damn, I'm out of shape. It was really sad, but as I felt the cool breeze and spray from Upper Wahkeena, I pushed on, setting my course for the switchbacks up to the lookout of the Gorge and my favorite section of trails that eventually lead to Fairy Falls, Devils Rest and many other destinations. The switchbacks, recently being paved, were just as I remembered them, neverending, yet, as I stopped over climbing each switchback, my attention was drawn to something different everytime. From the way the sun was streaming through a giant maple, a moss covered wall home to several millipedes, a dew-covered spider web, fuzzy caterpillars, a dead tree with its roots sticking up in the air, there were so many fascinating things, and for the first time, I felt the freedom to try and photograph them. It was great! Not many pictures turned out, but the key was that I was trying new things. FINALLY! Trying new things. Hiking a trail that has long forgotten my loving stride, taking pictures with new techniques (flash in the outdoors, slow-shutter zoom, high ISO, macro), and most importantly, getting in the car and driving to such a beautiful location.

While things were difficult to get to the top and back, and I am still feeling the effects of that hike, I was able to really say that through that suffering, it has produced in me the desire to keep trying. Sure, I couldn't go at the pace that I once did, but it seems to me that if I would have went at a faster pace, not only would it have harmed me, but perhaps I wouldn't have seen all that I saw on the hike, and had the magical epiphany that I had.

Season Premieres

In the coming weeks, two of my favorite television shows have their season premieres, Lost and The Office. First, The Office. What an awesome show, in that the fake documentary as episodic television model works well. I have been a sucker for the Pam and Jim love story, and when they kissed in the season finale, my wife and I sat shocked, because we thought the writers of the show would prolong that moment for so much longer! We are both eagerly anticipating the return!

About a month ago, Kristina and I rented the first disc of Lost: Season 1, because neither of us had seen the show before. Fast forward to today, when we just finished the season finale of season 2. HOW FRICKIN' AWESOME! Every time something cool happened, I would turn to my wife and say, "I love this show!" We are excited to see how things are going to develop in season 3. The only downside is that since we watched the first two seasons on DVD, we are now going to have to contend with the reality that if want to find out, we can't just put in the next DVD and watch it all day long. Oh, and commercials. Sadness.

Working Out of a Backpack

My latest business offering has the potential for me to travel overseas, and with that, I am thinking about how to effectively work out of a single backpack with multiple mediums. In April 2004, I traveled to Hermosillo, Mexico with my church and for one week I was a videographer in charge of video taping everything, which was awesome because it gave me a taste of my dream of one day being a world traveler documenting what I see and experience in video and photography. But the one drawback that I will never forget is that while the camera (a Canon XL1) took great video, I had to carry around the bag, as well as a large tripod and a backpack with all the filters and miscellaneous product that necessitate great video. I was worn out by all that gear!

But today in the wonderful world of 2006, times are different and great products are shrinking in size, and since I am building a system from the ground up, I have the privilege and benefit of researching quality products that will work from a backpack.

My first stop is a backpack. Tamrac has an Adventure 9 backpack that holds a professional digital SLR with 5" lens attached, several spare lenses, flashes, accessories and a laptop! Perfect, that covers my photography gear as well as a computer, but what about video. Enter the HV10, Canon's new HDV camera that fits in the palm of your hand. From what I have seen, the video quality rocks (even though a potential drawback is a lens that is too telephoto at its widest length) and it would fit into the backpack. There is also a built-in light and flash, how handy! But what about audio? There are no mic inputs, so how could I get professional audio for video production? Well, Zoom has a new product called the H4 that sounds almost too good to be true! Built-in mics, XLR mic inputs, built-in guitar effects, and more! That rocks! But we'll see when it comes out how good it really is. Other miscellaneous accessories that would be great and accessible within this system is a carbon fiber tripod, why carry around a bulky tripod, and a reflector to help with some lighting.

Well, as I begin putting together this system, it is also a very functional system when working around the Portland/Vancouver area, so this is definitely a great system to invest in. I'm sure something better will come along each month, but the good news is that there is hope for a great mobile production facility!